Prevalence of hypoalbuminemia and clinical characteristics of patients in acute ischaemic stroke

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke is a major and growing global health burden, with 11.9 million new cases annually, requiring urgent intervention. Common risk factors include hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, smoking, and alcohol use. Serum albumin, reflecting nutritional and inflammatory status, has been linked to stroke risk and outcomes. This study assessed the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia and its associated risk factors in acute ischemic stroke patients at a tertiary care hospital in Nepal.
Method: This hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was done among 65 patients diagnosed with stroke. Data collection was carried out with a detailed proforma of the participants, including demographic characteristics, and serum albumin level and analysed using SPSS version 28.0 (free).
Result: The study included 65 patients with acute ischemic stroke, with a mean age of 67 years. Stroke was most prevalent among individuals aged 60 years and above. A slight majority of the patients were female 34 (52.3%). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity, affecting 42 (64.6%) patients. Other major risk factors included smoking in 27 (41.5%), obesity in 16 (24.6%), and diabetes mellitus in 14 (21.5%) patients. Hypoalbuminemia was present in 35 (53.8%) patients. Of the total study population, 30 (46.2%) had normal serum albumin levels, 28 (43.1%) had mildly reduced serum albumin levels (2.5–3.49 g/dL), and 7 (10.8%) had severely reduced serum albumin levels (<2.5 g/dL).
Conclusion: Study identified the average age for stroke patients in this setting as 67, with hypertension, diabetes, and smoking being key risk factors and the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia was 53.84%.