Features of serum fatty acids at acute ischemic stroke onset in statin-treated patients with hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

In addition to diet therapy, statins are used to prevent cardiovascular disease in patients with hypercholesterolemia (HC). However, acute ischemic stroke (AIS) still occurs in statin-treated patients. How strictly statin-treated patients follow diet therapy before they experience AIS and whether they increase seafood consumption remains unknown. We investigated the serum concentrations and proportions (weight percentages: wt %) of fatty acids (FAs) at AIS onset in statin-treated patients (statin group), compared to those in non-treated patients with HC (6.465 mmol/L or higher) as controls (non-treated group). We included patients with AIS admitted between 2016 and 2019 within 24 h of AIS onset who underwent analysis of serum FAs. During the study period, 188 patients met the inclusion criteria: 133 in the statin group and 55 in the non-treated group. Interestingly, serum FA concentrations in the statin group were lower than those in the non-treated group. However, serum FA wt % in the statin group was almost identical to that in the non-treated group. In conclusion, statin-treated AIS patients had low FA concentrations and identical FA wt %, compared to non-treated AIS patients with HC.