Reduced frequency of high cholesterol levels among patients with intracerebral haemorrhage

To determine whether a relationship exists between high cholesterol levels and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) a case-control study was undertaken on 331 consecutive cases of first-episode primary ICH, verified by computed tomography, and 331 age- and sex-matched community controls. Using conditional logistic regression the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of ICH among individuals reporting a high cholesterol level was 0.45 [95% confidence interval (Cl), 0.28-0.731. A similar finding was observed when the analysis was limited to those using cholesterol-lowering drugs (OR 0.25; 95% Cl, 0.08-0.80). These data provide support for an inverse relationship between high cholesterol levels and ICH. When considered together with previous findings, in which low cholesterol levels have been associated with an increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke, these data provide evidence that this inverse relationship may extend into a higher range of cholesterol values.