Objective: Stanniocalcin-1 (STC1) may be neuroprotective. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of serum STC1 levels in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
Methods: This prospective observational study was assigned in two parts. In the first part, blood samples of 48 patients with ICH were acquired on admission and on days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 after ICH, and those of 48 controls were collected at their entry into the study. In the second part, blood samples of 141 patients with ICH were obtained upon admission. Serum STC1 levels were measured, and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), hematoma volume, and poststroke 6-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were recorded. Dynamic changes in serum STC levels and their correlation with disease severity and prognosis were investigated.
Results: Serum STC1 levels were elevated after ICH, peaked on day 1, plateaued on day 2, declined gradually afterwards, and were significantly higher than those in controls. Serum STC1 levels were independently correlated with NIHSS scores, hematoma volume, and the 6-month post-injury mRS scores. Serum STC1 levels, NIHSS scores, and hematoma volume independently predicted a poor prognosis (mRS scores of 3– 6). The model integrating serum STC1 levels, NIHSS scores, and hematoma volume was visually displayed using a nomogram and was relatively stable using the Hosmer–Lemeshow test and calibration curve analysis. Under the receiver operating characteristic curve, serum STC1 levels efficiently predicted a poor prognosis and showed similar prognostic ability to NIHSS scores and hematoma volume. The preceding model had significantly higher prognostic capability than NIHSS scores and hematoma volume alone and their combination.
Conclusion: Substantial enhancement of serum STC1 levels after ICH, which is strongly correlated with severity, independently distinguished the risk of poor prognosis, assuming that serum STC1, as a prognostic parameter, may be clinically valuable in ICH.
Keywords: stanniocalcin-1, intracerebral hemorrhage, prognosis, severity, biomarkers