Relationship between remnant cholesterol and short‐term prognosis in acute ischemic stroke patients

Abstract

ObjectiveSeveral studies have illustrated that elevated RC levels are related to a heightened risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Our research aimed to explore the correlation between RC levels and poor prognosis after a 90‐day interval in AIS patients.MethodsA total of 287 individuals were enrolled in the study, the primary outcome was defined as poor prognosis. RC was derived by the exclusion of low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) from total cholesterol (TC).ResultsFollowing the screening process, 253 AIS patients were included in the study, presenting a median age of 66[57, 75] years. Upon stratifying RC levels into quartiles, those in the top quartile faced a greater likelihood of diabetes diagnosis (42.86%, p = .014) and experienced a higher rate of unfavorable outcomes after 90 days (36.51%, p = .001). After accounting for confounding factors, the correlation between the fourth quartile of RC levels and the amplified likelihood of poor prognosis remained significant (odds ratio (OR) 8.471, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.841, 38.985); p = .006). Analysis of subgroups unveiled a notable correlation between higher RC levels and poor 90‐day prognosis, particularly in individuals with elevated NIHSS scores (p = .044). A progressively increasing 90‐day risk of poor prognosis after an RC greater than 0.38 mmol/L was visualized by restricted cubic spline plots (p‐overall = .011).ConclusionsIncluding RC as a contributing element may refine the prediction of poor 90‐day prognosis for AIS patients. Integrating RC with traditional risk factors can potentially enhance the predictive value for cerebrovascular disease.