Adverse lipid profile elevates risk for subarachnoid hemorrhage: A prospective population-based cohort study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Epidemiology
• Lipid Metabolism
• Neurology

Background:

• Existing research indicates both high and low total cholesterol (TC) are associated with increased stroke (SAH) risk.
• Prospective studies on high-density lipoproteins (HDL-C) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL-C) are limited, with no studies examining apolipoproteins A and B in relation to SAH risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between lipid profiles, including apolipoproteins, and the risk of stroke (SAH).

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National FINRISK study (1972-2007) with follow-up until 2014.
• Employed Cox proportional hazards models to analyze 543 incident SAH cases over 1.52 million person-years.
• Applied multiple imputation to estimate apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), and LDL-C values.

Main Results:

• Elevated TC increased SAH risk in men (HR 1.15).
• Low HDL-C increased SAH risk in both women (HR 1.29) and men (HR 1.20).
• Increased ApoA1 decreased SAH risk in women (HR 0.85) and men (HR 0.88).
• Elevated LDL-C (HR 1.15) and ApoB (HR 1.26) increased SAH risk in men.

Conclusions:

• An adverse lipid profile appears to elevate SAH risk, similar to its impact on other cardiovascular diseases, particularly in men.
• Further research is needed to determine if increasing statin use correlates with diminished SAH incidence.