TUESDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol may be less useful in predicting large artery atherosclerotic stroke than some other traditional serum lipid measures, according to research published online Dec. 26 in Neurology.
Oh Young Bang, M.D., Ph.D., of Sungkyunkwan University in Suwon, Korea, and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif., and colleagues analyzed data from 1,049 patients admitted to a medical center with an ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. All subjects had fasting lipid panels drawn, and they were categorized into large artery atherosclerotic (LAA) and non-LAA groups.
Total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglyceride:HDL ratio were higher in the LAA group. After adjusting for a variety of risk factors and statin use, odds ratios for LAA compared to other ischemic stroke subtypes for patients in the highest lipid quartiles versus lowest were triglycerides (odds ratio 2.69) and non-HDL cholesterol (odds ratio 2.39), but LDL cholesterol wasn't associated with LAA.
"Our results need independent confirmation through future prospective stroke studies. In the meantime, given our data and those of recent prospective studies of initially healthy individuals suggesting an independent relationship between non-LDL lipid parameters, particularly serum triglycerides, and vascular risk, consideration should be given to using these other lipid measures to further delineate atherosclerotic disease risk in persons at risk for primary or recurrent stroke," the authors conclude.
Abstract
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