Relations between plasma Ox-LDL and carotid plaque among Chinese Han ethnic group

Abstract

<title/>Objectives: To study the relationship between plasma oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and carotid plaque, including plaque stability, of patients with acute ischemic stroke among Chinese Han ethnic group.Methods: A total of 181 patients with acute ischemic stroke were recruited and enrolled. The subjects were divided into a carotid plaque group and a no-plaque group by carotid ultrasound. The stability of carotid atheromas was assessed by ultrasound echo density, and the carotid plaque group was further divided into a vulnerable plaque group and a stable plaque group based on the echo results.Results: The study showed that the correlation between age [odds ratio (OR): 1·047; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1·014-1·082; P<0·01] and carotid plaque was significant. Plasma ox-LDL (OR: 1·020; 95%CI: 1·010-1·030; P<0·001) was also found to be significantly correlated with carotid plaque. Age was irrelevant to plaque stability (P = 0·0685). The ox-LDL of the vulnerable plaque group was found to be significantly higher than that of the stable plaque group (P = 0·015). By measuring the plasma ox-LDL in patients with ischemic stroke, the proportion under the receiver operating characteristic curve of vulnerable carotid plaques was 0·690 with a 95%CI of 0·613-0·767 (P<0·001). The point of cut-off was 94·5943, the sensitivity was 0·805, and the specificity was 0·505.Conclusion: The plasma ox-LDL level and age are possible risk factors for carotid plaque among patients with ischemic stroke of the Chinese Han ethnic group. This study suggests that ox-LDL could be used as a biomarker in screening for vulnerable carotid plaque in clinical practice.