Low cholesterol level associated with severity and outcome of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage: Results from Taiwan Stroke Registry

[[abstract]]The relationship between cholesterol level and hemorrhagic stroke is inconclusive. We hypothesized that low cholesterol levels may have association with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) severity at admission and 3-month outcomes. This study used data obtained from a multi-center stroke registry program in Taiwan. We categorized acute spontaneous ICH patients, based on their baseline levels of total cholesterol (TC) measured at admission, into 3 groups with 200 mg/dL of TC. We evaluated risk of having initial stroke severity, with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) >15 and unfavorable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score >2, 3-month mortality) after ICH by the TC group. A total of 2444 ICH patients (mean age 62.5+/-14.2 years; 64.2% men) were included in this study and 854 (34.9%) of them had baseline TC 15), with an adjusted odds ratio [aOR] of 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-2.30), and 3-month mRS >2 (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.11-1.78) using patients with TC >200 mg/dL as reference. Those with TC >160 mg/dL and body mass index (BMI)