Abstract P470: Total Plaque Area and Association With Stroke Risk Factors in a Native American Population

Objective: Total plaque area (TPA) has been associated with stroke risk factors; however, it has not been well studied in a Native American population. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship of TPA with stroke risk factors (RF). Methods: Participants enrolled in the “Stroke Prevention in the Wisconsin Native American Population” (n=119) underwent a health history risk assessment, cognitive testing, carotid ultrasound to measure TPA, and a meeting with a health wellness coach. TPA for each participant was measured using the LifeQ Medical Plaque Analysis Software (Nicosia, Cyprus). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (SPSS, IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA) and SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Descriptive statistics for continuous variables are reported as the median and interquartile range (IQR). Spearman rho correlation was used to examine relationships between total plaque area and stroke risk factors. Robust M—estimation was used to examine which risk factors predicted TPA after adjustment for other covariates. Results: Of the 119 participants, 22 (18.5%) had no plaque and 97 (81.5%) had plaque, 100 (83.3%) were identified as high-risk (≥55 years with three risk factors for stroke) and 19 (15.8%) low-risk (≥55 years with fewer than three risk factors for stroke). Median participant age was 65 (IQR=11.0) years of age, 78.3% female. In univariate analyses, TPA was significantly associated with age (r s =.259;p=.005) and body mass index (BMI) (r s =-.300;p<.001). In a multivariable robust M-estimation model (including age, sex, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, physical activity, and categorical variables (yes/no) current smoker, history of high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, and transient ischemic attack), only age (p=.03), sex (p=.012), and hemoglobin A1c (p=.028) remained significant for predicting total plaque area (r 2 =16.5%). Conclusion: Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age, sex, and hemoglobin A1c predicted TPA. Further work is needed to understand how both traditional and non-traditional stroke RFs may affect the risk of stroke in Native Americans.