Dyslipidaemia in ischaemic stroke patients: results from a tertiary care teaching hospital of Pakistan

Introduction: Ischaemic stroke is a heterogeneous multifactorial disorder characterized by acute focal neurological deficit due to cerebrovascular disease. Considering the clinical evidence of dyslipidaemia as a risk factor for ischaemic stroke, there is a need to know the magnitude of dyslipidaemia in patients. Aim of the study was to determine the frequency of dyslipidaemia in patients of ischaemic stroke at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Larkana, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Hospital Larkana, Pakistan during the period of six months (July-December 2016). All patients between 18-75 years of age of either gender suffering from ischaemic stroke were included. All patients with intracranial haemorrhage, CNS tumour, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, familial lipid disorders, endocrine disorders, chronic diseases, and on anti-lipid medications, cocaine or alcohol addicts were excluded. The statistical analysis was conducted by using Stata Statistical Software 14. Results: Mean age of enrolled participants was 46.3 (SD=15.2) years. Of 85 enrolled participants, 73 (85.9%) were males and 12 (14.1%) were females, with male to female ratio of 6:1. The frequency of dyslipidaemia was 28 (32.9%), with mean LDL 100.7 (SD=18.4) mg/dl and HDL 42 (SD=11.7) mg/dl and total cholesterol 166.3 (SD=34.3) mg/dl. Conclusions & Recommendations: Dyslipidaemia, with low HDL 13 (15.3%) was found to be the most common risk factor we observed in our patients with stroke. The importance of preventive measures for a disease which has modifiable risk factors (diabetes and hypertension) should be emphasized to reduce the burden of stroke in the country.