Obesity Paradox in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose- Although obesity is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, studies have shown evidence of an obesity paradox-a protective effect of obesity in patients who already have these disease states. Data on the obesity paradox in intracerebral hemorrhage is limited. Methods- Clinical data for adult intracerebral hemorrhage patients were extracted from the National Inpatient Sample between 2007 and 2014. Multivariable logistic regression analyzed the association of body habitus with in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, length of stay, tracheostomy or gastrostomy placement, and ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. Results- There were 99 212 patients who were eligible. Patients with both obesity (OR=0.69; 95% CI=0.62-0.76; P<0.001) and morbid obesity (OR=0.85; 95% CI=0.74-0.97; P=0.02) were associated with decreased odds of in-hospital mortality. Morbid obesity was significantly associated with increased odds of a tracheostomy or gastrostomy placement (OR=1.42; 1.20-1.69; P<0.001) and decreased odds of a routine discharge disposition (OR=0.84; 0.74-0.97; P=0.014). Conclusions- Obesity and morbid obesity appear to protect against mortality in intracerebral hemorrhage.