The relationship between oxidized low-density lipoprotein and the NIHSS score among patients with acute ischemic stroke: The SOS-Stroke Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) has a defined role in the genesis and development of atherosclerosis, however, whether it is related to severity of neurological deficits is rarely reported. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential association between oxLDL and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score among patients with acute ischemic stroke. METHODS:Between January 2014 and October 2014, we recruited 4111 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), who were admitted within 7 days-43 hospitals in China, and participated in the SOS-Stroke Study. We collected detailed clinical data and then tested the relationship between oxLDL and the NIHSS score using a multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS:After adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, marriage and other confounding variables, the elevated NIHSS score was significantly associated with increased oxLDL levels, and each 1-μg/dL elevation in oxLDL concentration resulted in an increase of 0.027 in the NIHSS score. CONCLUSIONS:A positive correlation was found between plasma levels of oxLDL and the NIHSS score in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Higher plasma levels of oxLDL potentially suggest a worse prognosis in AIS patients.