Aldosterone is Associated With New-onset Cerebrovascular Events in Patients With Hypertension and White Matter Lesions: A Cohort Study

Objective White matter lesions (WMLs) increase the risk of stroke, stroke recurrence, and death. Higher plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) increases the risk of stroke, acute myocardial infarction, and hypertension. To evaluate the relationship between PAC and cerebrovascular events in patients with hypertension and WMLs. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included 1041 participants hospitalized. The outcome was new-onset cerebrovascular events including intracerebral hemorrhage and stroke. A Cox regression model was used to evaluate the relationship between baseline PAC and the risk of cerebrovascular events. Results The mean age of participants was 60.9±10.2 years, and 565 (53.4%) were males. The median follow-up duration was 42 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 25-67), and 92 patients experienced new-onset cerebrovascular events. In a multivariate-adjusted model, with PAC as a continuous variable, higher PAC increased the risk of cerebrovascular events; patient risk increased per 1 (hazard ratio [HR: 1.03], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01–1.06, P < 0.01), per 5 (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.06–1.31, P < 0.01), and per 10 ng/dL (HR: 1.41, 95%: 1.14-1.75, P < 0.01) increase in PAC. When PAC was expressed as a categorical variable (quartile: Q1-Q4), patients in Q4 (HR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.18–3.79, P < 0.05) exhibited an increased risk of cerebrovascular events compared to Q1. Restrictive spline regression showed a linear association between PAC and the risk of new-onset cerebrovascular events after adjusting for all possible variables. Conclusions Our study identified a linear association between PAC and the risk of new-onset cerebrovascular events in patients with hypertension and WMLs.