Plasma Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Levels and the Risk of Ischemic Stroke among Women.

BACKGROUND: Plasma retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels have been associated with cardiovascular risk factors and risk of coronary heart disease, but little is known about the association between RBP4 and the risk of ischemic stroke. We hypothesized that elevated RBP4 levels would be associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke among women.

METHODS: We performed a nested case-control study among women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study who provided blood samples between 1989 and 1990 and were free of prior stroke and cancer. We measured prediagnostic RBP4 levels in 471 ischemic stroke cases who were confirmed by medical record review and in 471 controls who were matched 1:1 to the cases on age, race, blood collection date, menopausal status, postmenopausal hormone use, and smoking status. We analyzed the association between RBP4 levels and ischemic stroke using multivariable conditional logistic regression conditional on the matching factors and adjusted for physical activity, body mass index, aspirin use, alcohol consumption, diet, history of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or heart disease, and cholesterol and hemoglobin A1C levels.

RESULTS: Median levels of RBP4 were similar in cases (31.1 µg/mL) and controls (31.0 µg/mL; P value from the Wilcoxon rank-sum test = .82). Quartiles of RBP4 were not associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke (highest quartile compared to lowest quartile: multivariate-adjusted odds ratio, .75; 95% confidence interval, .48, 1.17). We also did not observe associations between RBP4 and ischemic stroke of thrombotic or embolic origin.

CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of RBP4 were not associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke.