Association of Low Urinary Sodium Excretion With Increased Risk of Stroke

The positive relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure is well established. However, results of observational studies on dietary sodium intake and risk of stroke are inconsistent. Moreover, prospective studies with multiple 24-hour urine samples for accurate estimation of habitual sodium intake are scarce. We examined the association of urinary sodium excretion (UNaV) as an accurate estimate of intake with risk of stroke. We studied 7330 individuals free of cardiovascular events at baseline in the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease (PREVEND) study, a prospective, population-based cohort of Dutch men and women. The UNaV was measured in two 24-hour urine specimens at baseline (1997-1998) and two specimens during follow-up (2001-2003). Baseline median UNaV was 137 mmol/24 h (interquartile range, 106-171 mmol/24 h). During a median follow-up of 12.5 years (interquartile range, 11.9-12.9 years), a total of 183 stroke events occurred. An inverse association between UNaV and risk of stroke was observed after adjustment for age and sex (hazard ratio [HR] per 1-SD [51 mmol/24 h] decrement, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.11-1.65), which remained independent of additional adjustment for anthropometric, dietary, lifestyle, and other potential confounding factors (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.14-1.82). After adjustment for potential mediators (systolic blood pressure and antihypertensive medication, plasma renin, aldosterone, and sodium levels), the association of UNaV with risk of stroke remained unchanged, with HRs (95% CIs) of 1.44 (1.14-1.82), 1.50 (1.18-1.90), 1.54 (1.21-1.97), and 1.49 (1.17-1.90), respectively. This prospective study revealed an association of low UNaV with an increased risk of stroke.