In ischemic stroke patients with low LDL levels (<30-50 mg/dl), would you consider lowering LDL levels to lower values without concern for any side effects?   

If LDL levels are already below 70, I don’t target a lower goal. The SPARCL trial showed that reducing LDL to this range has an NNT of about 45 to prevent one stroke, which I find to be modest at best. From my perspective, lowering LDL further (<30-50 range) shifts the focus to treating a n...

In my opinion, the best answer to this question is that we probably don't know the answer yet. While the SPARCL trial was helpful, it didn't even include this population in the study as patients had to have an LDL of at least 100 mg/dL.Assuming the lipid panel was obtained correctly, I think one can...

There is no evidence for statin therapy for patients with ischemic stroke and LDL<70. The SPARCL trial showed atorvastatin to be beneficial in ischemic stroke patients, but the LDL had to be >100.