Low Triglyceride Levels are Associated with Unfavorable Outcomes in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Impact of hypertriglyceridaemia on cardiovascular mortality according to low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in a 15.6-million population

AIMS

The aim of this study was to assess the association between triglyceride (TG) levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality concerning low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and age in the general population.

METHODS AND RESULTS

From the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, 15 672 028 participants aged 18-99 who underwent routine health examinations were followed up for CVD mortality. Hazard ratios for CVD mortality were calculated using Cox models after adjusting for various confounders. During a mean of 8.8 years of follow-up, 105 174 individuals died of CVD. There was a clear log-linear association between TG and overall CVD mortality down to 50 mg/dL. Each two-fold increase in TG was associated with 1.10-fold (overall CVD), 1.22-fold [ischaemic heart disease (IHD)], 1.24-fold [acute myocardial infarction (AMI)], and 1.10-fold (ischaemic stroke) higher CVD mortality. Haemorrhagic stroke and heart failure were not associated with TG levels. The impact of hypertriglyceridaemia (HTG) on CVD weakened but remained present in persons with LDL-C < 100 mg/dL, in whom each two-fold higher TG was associated with 1.05-fold (overall CVD), 1.12-fold (IHD), 1.15-fold (AMI), and 1.05-fold (ischaemic stroke) higher CVD mortality. The younger population (18-44 years) had stronger associations between TG levels and mortality from overall CVD, IHD, and AMI than the older population.

CONCLUSION

Hypertriglyceridaemia independently raises CVD mortality with lingering risks in young and older individuals with low LDL-C levels, suggesting the importance of management of HTG even with controlled LDL-C.

Role of LDL-C level alteration in increased mortality risks in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Current studies indicate a contradictory relationship between decreased mortality risks of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) and elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Thus, this meta-analysis was designed to examine the involvement of high LDL-C levels in a lower mortality risk of sICH patients.

Methods

PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases were searched up to the date of August 3rd, 2022. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated for the higher vs. lower serum LDL-C level groups. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were also carried out. Egger's test was applied to detect any potential publication bias.

Results

Of 629 citations reviewed, 8 eligible cohort studies involving 83,013 patients were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Compared with lower serum LDL-C levels containing patients, higher serum LDL-C patients exhibited significantly decreased risks of 3-month mortality (OR: 0.51; 95%CI: 0.33-0.78; I² = 47.8%); however, the LDL-C level change wasn't significantly associated with in-hospital mortality risks (OR: 0.92; 95%CI: 0.63-1.33; I² = 91.4%) among sICH subjects. All studies included were classified as high-quality investigations.

Conclusions

This meta-analysis suggests a higher LDL-C level may decrease the mortality risk in sICH patients. LDL-C level increase is inversely associated with the 3-month mortality risks in these patients but not significantly correlated with the in-hospital mortality risks. Further well-designed prospective studies with extended follow-up periods are needed to confirm these findings and explore underlying cross-talks.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022318318, identifier: PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022318318.

Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Mortality in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Taiwan

Objective: Lower serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are associated with increased intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) risk. However, reverse causality and residual confounding has not attracted public attention. Therefore, we assessed whether people with LDL-C have increased risk of mortality adjusting for potential confounders using two large Taiwan cohorts.

Methods: The Mei-Jhao (MJ) cohort has 414,372 adults participating in a medical screening program with 378 ICH deaths within 15 years of follow-up (1994–2008). Cox proportional hazards regressions estimated hazard death ratios according to LDL-C levels. We identified 4,606 ICH patients from the Taiwan Stroke Registry (TSR) and analyzed the impact of LDL-C on 3-month mortality.

Results: Low cholesterol (LDL-C <100 mg/dL), found in 1/4 of the MJ cohort, was highly prevalent (36%) among young adults (age 20–39). There was a graded relationship between cholesterol and mortality for ICH [Hazard ratio, 1.56; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13–2.16]. Compared with patients with an LDL-C of 110–129 mg/dL in TSR, the risk for mortality was 1.84 (95% CI, 1.28–2.63) with an LDL-C of <100 mg/dL.

Conclusion: Lower serum LDL-C level independently predicts higher mortality after acute ICH. While its causative role may vary, low cholesterol may pose potential harms in Taiwan.

Lipid Levels and 3-Month Prognosis After Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Women

Background: The relationship between serum lipids levels and prognosis after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is still unclear. We aim to examine the association between lipid levels and 3-month ICH prognosis in women. Method: We went through a registry of spontaneous ICH cases and selected female patients to study according to our criteria. We collected demographic, clinical, and laboratory information and evaluated serum triglyceride (TG) levels, total cholesterol (TC) levels, low-density cholesterol (LDLC) levels, high-density cholesterol (HDLC) levels, non-high-density cholesterol (non-HDLC) levels, and 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Multivariate logistic regression was performed, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to explore the relationship between serum lipid levels and 3-month ICH clinical outcomes. Results: Two hundred six female patients were included in this study, and 96 (46.6%) of them had poor functional outcomes. In the univariate analysis, low TG (p = 0.006), TC (p = 0.025), LDLC (p = 0.001), non-HDLC (p < 0.001) levels, and high HDL (p = 0.036) levels were associated with poor 3-month clinical outcomes in women. In the multivariate logistic regression, low levels of TG (OR = 0.711, 95% CI = 0.542-0.933, p = 0.014), TC (OR = 0.523, 95% CI = 0.304-0.903, p = 0.020), LDLC (OR = 0.538, 95% CI = 0.307-0.942, p = 0.030), non-HDLC (OR = 0.327, 95% CI = 0.177-0.603, p < 0.001), and a high level of HDLC (OR = 2.075, 95% CI = 1.064-4.047, p = 0.032) with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.610, 0.590, 0.630, 0.645, and 0.415, respectively, remained as independent indicators of poor prognosis at 3 months after adjusting for confounding factors. Conclusion: Low levels of TG, TC, LDLC, non-HDLC, and high levels of HDLC were independently associated with poor prognosis of spontaneous ICH in women.

Sex Differences in Outcomes After Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage Among Patients With Low Total Cholesterol Levels

BACKGROUND

Low total cholesterol (TC) levels were shown to be an independent predictor of intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke in previous studies. However, the role of sex in risk and outcome of patients with ICH and low TC levels is unclear. Therefore, the objective of our study was to assess the sex differences in the risk factors and outcomes after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in patients with low TC levels in China.

METHODS

This study recruited consecutive patients diagnosed with ICH who were admitted to the Stroke Registry System in Tianjin between May 2005 and May 2018. Patients with low TC levels (defined as TC<200mg/dl) were analyzed in this study. Sex differences in clinical features, risk factors, and outcomes at hospital discharge, 3 months, and 12 months after ICH were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of the 824 patients with low TC levels, 610 men (74%) and 214 women (26%). The mean age at ICH onset was younger in men than in women (60.93±12.54 vs. 64.5±12.28, P<0.001), and men were more likely to have higher educational levels than women. There were higher prevalence rates of hypertension, current smoking status, and alcohol consumption in men. Urinary tract infections were more prevalent in women, and hepatic/renal dysfunctions were more prevalent in men. Women had significantly higher neurological function deficits. With lower Barthel indices (BIs) and higher modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores at admission; but there was no significant difference between men and women in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores. The study showed that there was no significant difference in mortality and dependency rates at hospital discharge, 3 months, and 12 months after ICH.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that there were no sex differences in clinical outcomes of patients with ICH and low TC levels, which suggests that the effect of low cholesterol as a risk factor for cerebral hemorrhage is the same on patients of different sexs. The possible mechanisms need larger, prospective, multicenter studies to further research.