[Association of small, dense low density lipoprotein with stroke]

To investigate the relationship between small, dense LDL (sLDL) and stroke in Chinese population.The plasma level of sLDL was examined by 2% - 16% nondenatured gradient gel electrophoresis in 204 patients with stroke, including 103 cases of ischemic cerebral infarction (ICI), 51 cases of lacunar infarction (LI), and 50 cases of subcortical hemorrhage (SH), and in 341 sex- and age-matched controls in China. Traditional risk factors for stroke were investigated as well.The plasma level of sLDL was significantly higher in patients with ICI and LI (54 +/- 8% and 52 +/- 7%) than in the controls (47 +/- 11%, both P0.01). However, the plasma sLDL of the CH patients was 50 +/- 9%, not significantly different from that of the controls (P0.05). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that sLDL was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure, age, and the levels of triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (all P0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that those with sLDL50% had increase of risk of ischemic cerebral infarction (OR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.649 - 5.691, P0.001) independent of other risk factors. The relationship between sLDL abnormality and LI and between sLDL abnormality and SH had no statistical significance (both P0.05).sLDL is significantly associated with ischemic cerebral infarction independent of other risk factors in Chinese population. sLDL may be a new marker for stroke at least in this Chinese population.