Association between low-density cholesterol change and outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent reperfusion therapy

Background Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) can increase cardiovascular risk. However, the association between LDL-C change and functional outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who underwent reperfusion therapy remains unclear. Methods Patients who received reperfusion therapy were consecutively enrolled. LDL-C measurement was conducted at the emergency department immediately after admission and during hospitalization. The change of LDL-C level (Delta LDL-C) was calculated by subtracting the lowest LDL-C among all measurements during hospitalization from the admission LDL-C. Poor functional outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) > 2 at 90 days. Results A total of 432 patients were enrolled (mean age 69.2 +/- 13.5 years, 54.6 % males). The mean LDL-C level at admission was 2.55 +/- 0.93 mmol/L. The median Delta LDL-C level was 0.43 mmol/L (IQR 0.08-0.94 mmol/L). A total of 263 (60.9 %) patients had poor functional outcomes at 90 days. There was no significant association between admission LDL-C level and functional outcome (OR 0.99, 95 % CI 0.77-1.27, p = 0.904). Delta LDL-C level was positively associated with poor functional outcome (OR 1.80, 95 % CI 1,12-2.91, p = 0.016). When patients were divided into tertiles according to Delta LDL-C, those in the upper tertile (T3, 0.80-3.98 mmol/L) were positively associated with poor functional outcomes compared to patients in the lower tertile (T1, -0.91-0.13 mmol/L) (OR 2.56, 95 % CI 1.22-5.36, p = 0.013). The risk of poor functional outcome increased significantly with Delta LDL-C tertile (P-trend = 0.010). Conclusions In AIS patients who underwent reperfusion therapy, the decrease in LDL-C level during hospitalization was significantly associated with poor functional outcomes at 90 days.