Serum cystatin C and cerebral microbleeds in patients with acute cerebral stroke

Recent studies have shown that kidney dysfunction is associated with cerebral microbleeds (CMB). Cystatin C is a more useful measurement than creatinine-based estimating equations for evaluating kidney function. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between cystatin C levels and CMB in patients with acute cerebral stroke. This cross-sectional study included a total of 485 patients with acute ischemic stroke and 129 patients with cerebral hemorrhage. The serum levels of cystatin C were significantly higher in acute cerebral stroke patients with CMB than in those without (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that for each single standard deviation increase of cystatin C levels, there was a significant increase in the presence of CMB after adjusting for age and sex, and after additional adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, silent lacunar infarction, and white matter hyperintensity in patients with acute stroke. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) in patients with acute cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage were 2.92 (1.81-6.93) and 2.98 (1.76-6.97), respectively. The present study suggests that elevated levels of cystatin C are associated with the presence of CMB in acute stroke patients, independent of conventional risk factors.