Abstract:

Objective

To investigate the relationship the correlation between stroke risk factors and geographical distribution within Shanxi Province， China.

Methods

Using the key disease surveillance data of Shanxi Province in 2019， this study included 10，087 study subjects. Data were gathered through on-site questionnaires and physical examinations， followed by a complex weighting of stroke risk factors and stroke prevalence indicators. Demographic characteristics associated with stroke risk were analyzed using the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Multifactorial logistic regression models were used to analyze stroke risk factors and associations across different geographic regions.

Results

（1） The study included 10，087 adults， with 2，000 from Taiyuan City （central region of Shanxi Province）， 2，100 from Datong City （northern region of Shanxi Province）， and 5，987 from Yuncheng City （southern region of Shanxi Province）. Of the participants， 4，482 （44.4%） were male and 5，605 （56.3%） were female. （2） There were significant regional differences in the prevalence of stroke risk factors， including hypertension， diabetes mellitus， atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease， smoking history， previous stroke， family history of stroke， and lack of exercise，（P＜0.05）. The prevalence of hypertension， physical inactivity， significant overweight or obesity， family history of stroke， and atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease increased in the same direction， while the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia decreased gradually from north to south. The prevalence of smoking decreased gradually from north to south in the studied population. The Datong population had the highest percentage of transient ischemic attack， while the Taiyuan population had the highest percentage of dyslipidemia and Yuncheng had the lowest. （3） The study found that hypertension and age were positively associated with stroke incidence across all three regions， even after adjusting for confounders on two occasions. Additionally， diabetes mellitus and family history of stroke were positively associated with stroke incidence in Taiyuan， while middle school education was negatively associated with stroke incidence compared to elementary school education or lower. The risk factors for stroke in Datong include dyslipidemia， atrial fibrillation or valvular heart disease， and physical inactivity. In Yuncheng， the risk factors for stroke include dyslipidemia， diabetes mellitus， physical inactivity， family history of stroke， and retirement. The incidence of stroke in Yuncheng was positively associated with dyslipidemia， diabetes mellitus， physical inactivity， family history of stroke， retirement， and male gender relative to female gender.

Conclusion

The survey revealed significant regional differences in stroke risk factors and prevalence across Shanxi Province. The prevalence of stroke was highest in the south and lowest in the north， exceeding the national average. Hypertension was found to be a consistent significant factor across all three regions， with Taiyuan showing the highest impact.Stroke risk factors varied by region， highlighting the importance of region-specific preventative strategies.

Key words: Stroke, Stroke risk factors, Geography, Correlation