Triglycerides as a risk factor in extracranial atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease

A retrospective study was carried out on a group of 138 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy for extracranial vascular disease. Risk factors of cerebrovascular disease and routine laboratory evaluations were assessed. Of the laboratory evaluations of blood lipids, only mean triglycerides were found to be significantly different from laboratory normals. Stroke as a clinical event has been suggested not to be correlated with blood lipids in a number of large studies, but the present investigation supports the notion that extracranial vascular disease may be associated with blood lipid concentrations. Previous studies of stroke and lipids have not separated out the anatomical site responsible for the cerebral infarction, and thus probably have underestimated the effect of lipids as a risk factor in cervical extracranial atherosclerosis and brain infarction.