Association between weight-adjusted waist index with incident stroke in the elderly with hypertension: a cohort study

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study was to ascertain the relationship between the weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) and the risk of stroke in an elderly hypertensive population, a relationship that has not been previously elucidated. The Cox regression model was employed to assess the correlation between baseline WWI measurements and the incidence of stroke. To further elucidate the shape of the association between baseline WWI and stroke, restricted cubic splines were employed. Furthermore, subgroup analyses and interaction tests were carried out to investigate potential heterogeneities. Our study cohort comprised 4962 hypertensive individuals aged 60 years or older with no prior history of stroke. Over a median follow-up of 3.2 years, we found 547 new-onset stroke cases. After adjusting for confounding variables, the Cox regression analysis revealed a positive association between baseline WWI and the risk of stroke, with hazard ratios (HRs) escalating progressively as WWI values increased. When compared to the lowest quartile of WWI, the highest quartile demonstrated an HR of 1.87 (95% CI, 1.44–2.42) for stroke. Subgroup analyses confirmed the consistency of this relationship across different demographic and clinical strata. The study findings indicate that an elevated WWI is significantly related with a higher risk of new-onset stroke among elderly patients with hypertension. These results underscore the importance of WWI as a potential risk stratification tool. To confirm these results and explore the causal mechanisms behind the observed correlation, more study is necessary.

Keywords

• Weight-adjusted waist index
• Stroke
• Elderly
• Hypertension
• Cohort study