The Prevalence of Dyslipidemia and Hyperglycemia among Stroke Patients: Preliminary Findings

Stroke or cerebrovascular accident is defined as sudden or sub acute onset of focal neurologic deficit, caused by the interruption of blood flow to parts of the brain. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia among stroke patients in Palestine.

A total of 70 patients with stroke were included in a cross-sectional study between November 2017 and February 2018. Stroke patients were diagnosed based on a CT scan reviewed by a neurologist. Fasting venous blood samples were collected to measure the lipid profile (cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), triacylglycerol (TAG), high-density lipoproteins (HDL)), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb_A1c) levels. An interview-based questionnaire, included background data, past medical history, family history, and other risk factors for stroke, was filled for each patient.

Based on our results, 28.57% of patients had high LDL, 17.1% had high cholesterol, 15.7% had high TAG and 61.3% had low HDL. About half of the patients (51.4%) had abnormal Hb_A1c and abnormal FBG (52.8%). The majority (67.1%) of patients were males, whereas, 11% of patients were obese (BMI of more than 30 kg/m²) and 51.4% were smokers. Regarding the family history of diseases, 81% of patients had a family history of hypertension, 50% had a family history of stroke, and 58% had a family history of diabetes mellitus.

Male gender and smoking were most likely to increase the risk of stroke. Risk factors like low HDL, high LDL, high FBG, high Hb_A1c, and hypertension contribute substantially to the incidence of stroke. A family history of stroke, hypertension and diabetes were significant risk factors for stroke.