Objective: To examine the association of homocysteine (HCY) and C-reactive protein (CRP) with neurofunctional changes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after stent treatment.
Methods: A total of 110 patients with AIS treated with stents were divided into a high HCY group (n = 59) and a normal HCY group (n = 51) based on the HCY level. Pearson correlation analysis and logistic linear regression analysis were used to analyze the related factors that affect the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score changes after stent treatment.
Results: (1) The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for HCY was 0.995 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.984– 1.005, P = 0.000), and the best predictive value was 12.75 μmol/L (sensitivity 89.9%, specificity 98.0%). The area under the ROC curve for CRP was 0.665 (95% CI: 0.564– 0.767, P = 0.003), and the best predictive value was 9.7 mg/L; (2) comparison between the high HCY group and the normal HCY group showed statistical differences (P < 0.05) in HCY, CRP, and the NIHSS score at admission, the NIHSS score after treatment, gender, history of diabetes, and history of atrial fibrillation; (3) both HCY and CRP were proven to be correlated with the NIHSS score after treatment (0.188, P = 0.050) and (0.194, P = 0.042), respectively, using Pearson correlation analysis; (4) HCY, low-density lipoprotein, CRP, cystatin C, glucose, history of atrial fibrillation, history of diabetes, and the NIHSS score at admission as the risk factors.
Conclusion: High HCY and CRP levels are related to the neurofunctional changes in patients with AIS treated with stents and can be used as indicators to assess the risk of treating AIS with stents and as serum markers to predict prognoses.
Keywords: cerebrovascular stent, acute ischemic stroke, homocysteine, C-reactive protein, degree of neurological deficit