Home Cardiology Very Low LDL-C, Triglycerides Tied to Hemorrhagic Stroke Risk in Women

Very Low LDL-C, Triglycerides Tied to Hemorrhagic Stroke Risk in Women

Women with very low LDL or triglycerides should be monitored for other modifiable stroke risk factors

THURSDAY, April 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Women with very low low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or low triglycerides have an increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke, according to a study published online April 10 in Neurology.

Pamela M. Rist, Sc.D., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined the correlation between total cholesterol, LDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride categories and hemorrhagic stroke risk in a prospective cohort study involving 27,937 women.

The researchers identified 137 hemorrhagic strokes during a mean of 19.3 years of follow-up. After multivariable adjustment, those with LDL-C levels <70 mg/dL versus 100 to 129.9 mg/dL had a 2.17-fold greater risk for experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 4.48). There was no significant increase in risk for those with LDL-C levels of 130 to 159.9 mg/dL (relative risk [RR], 1.14; 95 percent CI, 0.72 to 1.80) or 70 to 99.9 mg/dL (RR, 1.25; 95 percent CI, 0.76 to 2.04). For those with LDL-C levels ≥160 mg/dL, there was a suggestion of an increased risk (RR, 1.53; 95 percent CI, 0.92 to 2.52). After adjustment, the risk for hemorrhagic stroke was significantly increased in the lowest versus the highest triglyceride quartile (RR, 2.00; 95 percent CI, 1.18 to 3.39).

“Women with very low LDL-C or low triglycerides should be monitored for other modifiable risk factors for hemorrhagic stroke, for example, hypertension and smoking, to help reduce their overall risk of experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke event,” the authors write.

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