Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic effects of the serum total cholesterol
(TC) levels on long-term functional outcomes in patients with first-time
noncardioembolic ischemic stroke. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Referral center.
PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=109) with first-time ischemic stroke. INTERVENTIONS:
Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Serial Barthel Index (BI) scores at onset;
2 weeks; and 1, 2, 4, and 6 months after stroke. We analyzed the impact of the
serum TC level and other clinical factors on the repeated measurements of BI
scores at these 6 time points by using a linear mixed regression model. RESULTS:
Taking correlation across repeated measurement of BI scores, the TC level,
baseline BI, follow-up time, and infarct size were identified as significant
predictors for serial BI scores. Higher TC levels correlated with better
functional outcomes. A 1-unit (mmol/L) increase in the TC caused a 3.12 (95%
confidence interval [CI], .79-5.46) increase in the BI score after controlling
for other clinical factors such as age, baseline functional status, and size of
infarct. An elevation of 1 unit of baseline BI led to a .49 increase (95% CI,
.38-.59) per unit in subsequent BI scores. A small infarct (<1cm) had higher BI
scores than larger infarct by 9.09 (95% CI, 2.03-16.16). CONCLUSIONS: The serum
TC level measured at the acute stage of noncardioembolic ischemic stroke is an
independent predictor for long-term functional outcomes.
CI - Copyright 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS