Cholesterol Levels Are Associated with 30-day Mortality from Ischemic Stroke in Dialysis Patients

Abstract

Background We investigated the impact of serum cholesterol levels on 30-day mortality after ischemic stroke in dialysis patients. Methods From the Taiwan Stroke Registry data, we identified 46,770 ischemic stroke cases, including 1101 dialysis patients and 45,669 nondialysis patients from 2006 to 2013. Results Overall, the 30-day mortality was 1.46-fold greater in the dialysis group than in the nondialysis group (1.75 versus 1.20 per 1000 person-days). The mortality rates were 1.64, .62, 2.82, and 2.23 per 1000 person-days in dialysis patients with serum total cholesterol levels of?<120?mg/dL, 120-159?mg/dL, 160-199?mg/dL, and ?200?mg/dL, respectively. Compared to dialysis patients with serum total cholesterol levels of 120-159?mg/dL, the corresponding adjusted hazard ratios of mortality were 4.20 (95% confidence interval [CI]?=?1.01-17.4), 8.06 (95% CI?=?2.02-32.2), and 6.89 (95% CI?=?1.59-29.8) for those with cholesterol levels of?<120?mg/dL, 160-199?mg/dL, and??200?mg/dL, respectively. Conclusions Dialysis patients with serum total cholesterol levels of??160?mg/dL or?<120?mg/dL on admission are at an elevated hazard of 30-day mortality after ischemic stroke. ? 2017 National Stroke Association