Lower Fasting Serum Triglyceride Levels on Admission are Associated with Increased Risks of 30-Day and 1-Year Mortality in Patients with Ischemic Stroke

Objective: This study was to assess the 30-day and 1-year mortality associated with serum triglyceride levels on admission for patients with acute ischemic stroke using the Taiwan Stroke registry (TSR) data. Patients and methods: From the TSR database, we identified 45931 acute ischemic stroke patients from April 2006 to April 2014 and stratified them into 3 groups by the serum triglyceride level measured on admission: <150 mg/dL, 150 mg/dL -199 mg/dL, and ≥ 200 mg/dL. They were prospectively followed to measure the 30-day and 1- year mortality after acute ischemic stroke. Result: The mortality rate after acute ischemic stroke decreased as the triglyceride level increased. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.3-fold greater in patients with triglyceride levels 200 mg/dL (1.62 vs.0.72 per 1000 person-days), with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.06-1.46). The 1-year mortality rate was also greater in patients with lower triglyceride levels than in patients with higher levels (0.47 vs. 0.22 per 1000 person-days), with an adjusted HR of 1.21 (95% CI=1.09-1.34). Compared to patients with triglyceride levels >200 mg/dL, those with triglyceride levels <150 mg/dL had 2.2% lower 30-day survival rate and 6.3% lower 1-year survival rate after acute ischemic stroke. Conclusion: Acute ischemic stroke patients with lower fasting serum triglyceride levels on admission are at a higher risk of both 30-day mortality and 1-year mortality.