A Prospective Cohort Study of Elevated Serum NLRP1 Levels to Prognosticate Neurological Outcome After Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage at a Single Academic Institution.

BACKGROUND

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 1 (NLRP1) participates in neuroinflammation. This study aimed to identify serum NLRP as a potential prognostic biomarker of acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

METHODS

This prospective cohort study enrolled 145 patients with supratentorial ICH and 51 healthy controls. Serum NLRP1 levels were quantified on admission of all 145 patients, on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 after stroke in 51 of 145 patients and at entry into the study of controls. Poststroke 6-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of 3-6 signified a poor prognosis.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, patients had prominently increased serum NLRP1 levels until day 10 after ICH, with the highest levels at days 1 and 3. Serum NLRP1 levels were independently correlated with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, hematoma volume and six-month mRS scores, and independently predicted six-month bad prognosis. A linear relationship was observed between serum NLRP1 levels and the risk of poor prognosis in a restricted cubic spline. Under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, serum NLRP levels efficiently discriminated poor prognosis. Serum NLRP1, NIHSS, and hematoma volume were merged into a prognosis prediction model, which was portrayed using a nomogram. Good performance of the model was verified using calibration curve, decision curve, and ROC curve.

CONCLUSION

Serum NLRP1 levels are elevated during the early period following ICH and are independently related to hemorrhagic severity and poor prognosis, suggesting that serum NLRP1 may represent a promising prognostic biomarker of ICH.