Frequency of hyperlipidemia in patients with ischemic stroke visiting at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi

Abstract

Background and objective: Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability. This study was designed to determine the frequency of hyperlipidemia in patients with ischemic stroke visiting at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study and was done in Department of Medicine, LCMD/ Dar-ul-Sehat Hospital Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 184 patients were studied during the study period of six months and all the consecutive patients were recruited who presented with acute stroke in the department of medicine from the duration April 1st 2022 to September 30th, 2022.Those fulfilling the inclusion criteria for this study were included for data analysis, while the patients who did not meet the said criteria were excluded. Their serum lipid levels were collected within 24 hours of admission. Hyperlipidemia was measured through fasting lipid profile and was labeled as present if any one or more of the following profile like total cholesterol >200 mg/dl, LDL cholesterol > 100 mg/dl, TGL > 150 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dl, as appropriate. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.17±12.73. Average systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 152.34±21.31 & 83.35±13.71 mm Hg respectively. Mean duration of smoking and diabetes mellitus in first ever ischemic stroke patients was 9.33±4.03 & 13.65±5.8 years respectively, whereas average fasting blood sugar was found 151.98±69.73mg/dl; 118 (64%) were males and 66 (36%) were females. A total of 124 (67.4%) of patients had a history of hypertension, while 94 (51.1%) were diabetic. Fifty-three (28.8%) of patients had a history of coronary artery disease while 22 (11.95%) patients had history of smoking. Increased triglycerides level was seen in 47 (25. 5%). The frequency of hyperlipidemia was 145 (79%) patients respectively. Conclusion: Frequency of hyperlipidemia was 145 (79%) in patients with ischemic stroke which is moderately high in our setup. A high prevalence of hyperlipidemia is alarming in our setup and requires attention of the physicians on modifiable risk factors.