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Very High hsCRP Levels Marker for Stroke Mortality
J Neurol Sci; ePub 2016 Nov 12; Itrat, et al
Very high levels of highly sensitive c-reactive protein (hsCRP) may be a useful marker to identify stroke patients at increased risk for death, especially those with stroke of mild severity, according to a recent study. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1,176 patients hospitalized with acute stroke between 2005 and 2012 who had an hsCRP assay drawn within 7 days of admission. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was adjusted in a subset of patients in whom it was available (n=378). They found:
- Patients with hsCRP >10 mg/L had 2.65 increased hazard of all-cause mortality compared to stroke patients with hsCRP ≤10 mg/L.
- Association of hsCRP with mortality was greater for patients with low NIHSS and declined in patients with increasing NIHSS scores.
- A higher proportion of patients with hsCRP >10 died from nonvascular causes than patients with hsCRP ≤10 mg/L.
Itrat A, Griffith SD, Alam S, Thompson N, Katzan I. The role of very high high-sensitivity c-reactive protein levels on mortality after stroke. [Published online ahead of print November 12, 2016]. J Neurol Sci. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2016.11.019.