Adiposity and Outcome After Ischemic Stroke: Obesity Paradox for Mortality and Obesity Parabola for Favorable Functional Outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A survival advantage among individuals with higher body mass index (BMI) has been observed for diverse acute illnesses, including stroke, and termed the obesity paradox. However, prior ischemic stroke studies have generally tested only for linear rather than nonlinear relations between body mass and outcome, and few studies have investigated poststroke functional outcomes in addition to mortality. METHODS: We analyzed consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke enrolled in a 60-center acute treatment trial, the NIH FAST-MAG acute stroke trial. Outcomes at 3 months analyzed were (1) death; (2) disability or death (modified Rankin Scale score, 2-6); and (3) low stroke-related quality of life (Stroke Impact Scale