When to measure lipid profile after stroke? A prospective serial study

Abstract

Background: Although acute decreases in total cholesterol (TC) are well documented in myocardial infarction, previous stroke studies have produced conflicting results. The timing of lipid estimation in ischemic stroke is becoming important with recent trial results indicating the benefits of statins. We therefore aimed to determine the optimal time for lipid measurements after stroke. We hypothesized that TC would acutely decrease after stroke and return to baseline by 12 weeks. Methods and Results: We performed a prospective, observational study of 50 patients (age 68.5 ± 11.2 years) who presented with acute ischemic stroke. Of these, 22 (44%) were HMG-CoA reductase (statin) naïve, 15 (30%)..