Amarin Corp Plc (AMRN)

[rdhitchcock]

EPA and intracerebral hemorrhage



http://www.nrjournal.com/article/S0271-5317(15)00004-4/abstract

Low plasma eicosapentaenoic acid concentration as a possible risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage

N-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), prevent ischemic stroke. The preventive effect has been attributed to an anti-thrombic effect induced by elevated EPA and reduced arachidonic acid (AA) levels. However, the relationship between intracranial hemorrhage and N-3 fatty acids has not yet been elucidated. In this cross-sectional study, we compared common clinical and lifestyle parameters between 70 patients with intracranial hemorrhages and 66 control subjects. The parameters included blood chemistry data, smoking, alcohol intake, fish consumption and the incidences of underlying diseases. The comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test followed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Non-parametric tests revealed that the 70 patients with intracerebral hemorrhages exhibited significantly higher diastolic blood pressures (DBPs) and alcohol intakes and lower body mass indices (BMIs), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, EPA concentrations, EPA/AA ratios and vegetable consumption compared with the 66 control subjects. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that higher DBP and alcohol intake and lower BMI, HDL- cholesterol, EPA/AA ratio and vegetable consumption were relative risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage. High HDL- cholesterol was a common risk factor in both of the gender-segregated subgroups and the <65 year-old subgroup. However, neither EPA nor EPA/AA ratio were risk factors in these subgroups. EPA was relative risk factor only in the >65 year-old subgroup. Rather than higher EPA levels, lower EPA concentrations and EPA/AA ratios were found to be risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage in addition to previously known risk factors, such as blood pressure, alcohol consumption and life style.