Serum levels of procalcitonin and high sensitivity C-reactive protein are associated with long-term mortality in acute ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to assess the prognostic value of systemic inflammation, as measured by the inflammatory biomarkers PCT and Hs-CRP, to predict the long-term mortality in ischemic stroke patients.

METHODS

We prospectively studied 374 patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted within 24h after the onset of symptoms. Serum levels of PCT, Hs-CRP and NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) were measured at the time of admission. Clinical follow-up was performed at 1 year. The prognostic value of PCT to predict the mortality within one year was compared with Hs-CRP, NIHSS and with other known outcome predictors.

RESULTS

In the 64 non-survival patients, serum PCT levels were significantly (P<0.0001) higher compared with those in survival patients. Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that log-transformed PCT and Hs-CRP were independent mortality predictors with adjusted hazard ratio of 4.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.42-6.30) and 15.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.25-41.08). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of PCT and Hs-CRP were 0.89 (95% CI, 0.85-0.93) and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.59-0.77) for mortality, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Serum levels of PCT and HS-CRP at admission were independent predictor of long-term mortality after ischemic stroke in a Chinese sample.