Lipid Profile, Lipid-lowering Medications, and Intracerebral Hemorrhage After tPA in Get With The Guidelines–Stroke

Background and Purpose—Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) after tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke is associated with poor outcome. There are conflicting data on sICH risk related to lipid levels and use of lipid-lowering medications. We evaluated whether there are associations between lipid levels, lipid-lowering medications, and sICH in Get With the Guidelines-Stroke.

Methods—We identified acute ischemic stroke patients in the Get With the Guidelines-Stroke data set who were treated with IV tissue plasminogen activator between April 2003 and September 2009 and had complete data on lipid profiles and complications. Potential predictors of sICH were tested in univariate and multivariate analysis. Read more