Association between metabolic syndrome and multiple lesions of intracranial atherothrombotic stroke: a hospital-based study

BACKGROUND: With the increasing trend of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and atherothrombotic stroke (which can manifest as stroke lesion multiplicity), studies on the association between MetS and the clinical aspects of atherothrombotic stroke are of great interest. The present study aimed to investigate the association between MetS and multiple atherothrombotic strokes in patients with intracranial atherothrombotic stroke. METHODS: A retrospective study based on medical charts was conducted among patients (n = 202: 137 men/65 women) who were symptomatically admitted to the hospital with the first-ever atherothrombotic stroke. For the occurrence of multiple lesions of stroke, odds ratio [OR: 95 % confidence interval (CI)] of MetS or its respective components was calculated using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent of the men and 38 % of women with stroke presented multiple regions. MetS was a significant factor that was associated with an increased risk of multiple regions in women [OR 4.3 (95 % CI 1.4–13.5)], but not in men. According to the components of MetS, dyslipidemia was a significant factor that was positively associated with multiple regions in both men [OR 2.0 (95 % CI 1.1–3.7)] and women [OR 3.2 (95 % CI 1.1–9.1)]. CONCLUSION: MetS may be pathophysiologically associated with intracranial atherothrombotic stroke multiplicity in women in particular. Future studies are warranted to confirm the findings.