Association of Serum Fatty Acids at Admission with the Age of Onset of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Dietary triglycerides influence fatty acid (FA) serum concentrations and weight percentages (wt %), which may be associated with the age of onset of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We investigated the correlations between serum FA levels and proportions at admission and the age of onset of AIS. We evaluated patients with AIS admitted between 2016 and 2019 within 24 h of AIS onset and calculated the correlation coefficients between their ages, serum FA concentrations, and FA wt % values. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify independent FAs indicating AIS age of onset. Furthermore, we estimated the threshold values of independent FAs for age of onset <60 years using receiver operating characteristic curves by logistic regression. A total of 525 patients (median age: 75 years) met the inclusion criteria. The concentration of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) and wt % of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were significant independent variables for age of onset of AIS, and receiver operating characteristic curves for age of onset <60 years showed thresholds of ≥117.7 µmol/L for DGLA and ≤3.7% for DHA. An increased DGLA concentration and decreased DHA wt % were significantly associated with onset of AIS at a younger age.

Keywords: acute ischemic stroke; admission; age of onset; dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid; docosahexaenoic acid; serum fatty acids.