Characteristic variables of acute ischemic stroke categorized according to body mass index classifications

BACKGROUNND We investigated the characteristic variables of acute ischemic stroke categorized according to body mass index (BMI). METHODS From a registry of 1676 consecutive acute ischemic stroke cases, 965 cases (622 men and 434 women; mean age 71.53 ± 12.42 years) were selected based on eligibility criteria. These participants were divided into four cohorts according to BMI classifications: BMI < 18 (underweight), 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 (normal weight), 25 ≤ BMI < 30 (overweight), and BMI ≥ 30 (obese). To avoid bias, propensity score analyses were performed; the confounding variables of sex and age were adjusted. RESULTS The underweight cohort (n = 82) had an older, largely female population. The overweight (n = 212) and obese cohorts (n = 48) had younger populations. The analyses revealed no significant differences in neurological outcomes among the four cohorts. Furthermore, higher risks of hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were associated with the higher BMI cohorts in participants with acute ischemic stroke. Findings revealed higher rates of usage of antidiabetic and antidyslipidemic medications in the overweight cohort (p = 0.007, p = 0.003; respectively) and raised values of triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin in the obese cohort (p = 0.044, p = 0.019, p < 0.001; respectively) than in the normal weight cohort. By contrast, the lower BMI cohort (underweight) did not have hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSIONS The importance of focusing on the management of dyslipidemia, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia for acute ischemic stroke in patients who are overweight or obese has been highlighted.