Abstract P670: Obesity and Mortality After the First Ischemic Stroke: Is Obesity Paradox Real?

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is an established risk factor for ischemic stroke but the association of increased body mass index (BMI) with survival after ischemic stroke remains controversial. Many studies have shown that increased BMI has a “protective” effect on survival after stroke while other studies have debunked the obesity paradox. This study aimed at examining the relationship between BMI and all-cause mortality at one year in first-time ischemic stroke patients using data extracted from different resources including electronic health records. Methods: We analyzed consecutive ischemic stroke patients captured in the Geisinger NeuroScience Ischemic Stroke (GNSIS) database. Survival in first-time ischemic stroke patients was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimator, stratified by different BMI categories. The predictors of mortality at one-year were assessed using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Among 6,703 first-time adult ischemic stroke patients, mean age was 70.2 ±13.5 years and 52% were men. Of these patients, 24% patients were non-overweight (BMI < 25), 34% were overweight (BMI 25-29.9) and 41% were obese (BMI ≥ 30). One-year survival probability was significantly higher in overweight patients (87%, 95% CI: [85.6 - 88.4], p<0.001) and obese patients (89.5%, 95% CI: [88.4 - 90.7], p<0.001) compared to non-overweight patients (78.1%, 95% CI: [76.0 - 80.1]). In multivariate analysis, one-year mortality was significantly lower in overweight and obese patients (overweight patients- HR = 0.61 [95% CI, 0.52 - 0.72]; obese patients- HR = 0.56 [95% CI, 0.48 - 0.67]). Other significant predictors of one-year mortality were age at the ischemic stroke event (HR = 1.04 [95% CI, 1.03 - 1.04]), history of neoplasm (HR = 1.59 [95% CI, 1.38 - 1.85]), atrial fibrillation or flutter (HR = 1.26 [95% CI, 1.09 - 1.46]), heart failure (HR = 1.68 [95% CI, 1.42 - 1.98]), diabetes mellitus (HR = 1.27 [95% CI, 1.1 - 1.47]), rheumatic disease (HR = 1.37 [95% CI, 1.05 - 1.78]) and myocardial infarction ((HR = 1.23 [95% CI, 1.02 - 1.48]). Conclusion: Our results support the obesity paradox in ischemic stroke patients as shown by a significantly decreased hazard ratio for one-year mortality among overweight and obese patients in comparison to non-overweight patients.