gms | German Medical Science

63rd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)
Joint Meeting with the Japanese Neurosurgical Society (JNS)

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

13 - 16 June 2012, Leipzig

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The role of obesity for outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Meeting Abstract

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  • J. Platz - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main
  • E. Güresir - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main
  • V. Seifert - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main
  • H. Vatter - Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurochirurgie, Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Japanische Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 63. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Japanischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (JNS). Leipzig, 13.-16.06.2012. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2012. DocFR.08.02

doi: 10.3205/12dgnc227, urn:nbn:de:0183-12dgnc2276

Published: June 4, 2012

© 2012 Platz et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Objective: Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease associated with poor outcome. Recent studies described an improved outcome of obese patients in ischemic heart disease or stroke, a phenomenon called “obesity paradox”, We assessed the impact of BMI on outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 741 patients. A body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m2 was considered overweight and a BMI > 30 kg/m2 as obese. Outcome according to the Glasgow Outcome scale (GOS) at discharge and after 6 months was assessed using logistic regression analysis.

Results: Of 741 patients, 381 (51.4%) were classified as overweight, 75 of these were categorized as obese. Of all overweight patients, 53.0% achieved a favorable outcome (GOS > 3). In contrast, 61.4% of the 360 patients with a normal BMI had a favorable outcome (P = 0.021). However, in the multivariate analysis, only age (OR 1.051, 95% CI 1.04–1.07, P < 0.001) and WFNS grade (OR 2.095, 95% CI 1.87–2.35, P < 0.001) were independent predictors for outcome after 6 months. Selecting only poor grade patients (WFNS > 3, n = 321), 171 (53.3%) were overweight with 21.6% attaining a favorable outcome, compared to 35.3% of the 150 normal weight patients (P = 0.006). Yet again, in the multivariate analysis for this subgroup, age was the only independent predictor for outcome (OR 1.047, 95% CI 1.027–1.067, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Although many physicians anticipate a worse outcome for obese patients, in our study BMI was not an independent predictor for outcome. The impact of obesity seems less important for outcome after SAH compared to the impact of SAH itself and the age of the patient.