• Vafa Alakbarzade and Anthony C Pereira.
• Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust; Department of Neurology, Truro, United Kingdom. Electronic address: vafa.alakbarzade.10@ucl.ac.uk.
• J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2020 Jan 1; 29 (1): 104457.

BackgroundProtein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors effectively clear low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C). We evaluated stroke admissions potentially eligible for more intensive cholesterol treatment.MethodsRetrospective analysis of consecutive admissions to a hyperacute stroke unit over 5 months in 2017. Records were individually searched. Data were collected on diagnosis, risk factors, and stroke work-up. European Society of Cardiology and European Atherosclerosis Society guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias were used for screening patients eligible for PCSK9 inhibitors.ResultsOf 650 patient admissions: 351 (54%) had acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), 80 (12%) hemorrhage, and 219 (34%) mimic syndromes. Patients with hemorrhage (n = 80), mimic syndromes (n = 219), and absent LDL-C, or non-HDL-C testing (n = 27) were subsequently excluded. 324 patients with acute ischemic stroke and TIA were further screened for PCSK9-inhibitor treatment eligibility. Forty-one (13%) patients with LDL-C greater than or equal to 1.8mmol/L (≥70 mg/dL) on maximal tolerated statin dose and with concomitant "very high vascular risk" were identified. "Very high vascular risk" was defined as a documented history of cardiovascular disease and/or peripheral arterial disease. Of 41 patients eligible for PCSK9 inhibitors, median age was 82 years (range 53-96); median vascular risk factors were 2 (range 1-5); 7 (17%) had TIA; 13 (31%) had history of preceding cerebrovascular events, 13 (31%) diabetes mellitus, 17 (42%) cardioembolic events, 9 (22%) lacunar syndrome, 11 (22%) symptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis (n = 9 were >70%), and 4 (10%) undetermined aetiology. Eighty-three percent patients eligible for PCSK9 inhibitors also had non-HDL-C values greater than or equal to 2.6 mmol/L.ConclusionsUp to 13% of unselected acute ischemic stroke or TIA patients admitted to a hyper-acute stroke unit were potentially suitable for more intensive cholesterol treatment. Our data may act as a useful guide for sample size selection in future stroke trials testing PCSK9 inhibitors.Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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