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Blood markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in cardioembolic stroke: systematic review and
Benedetta Piccardi1, Dolors Giralt2, Alejandro Bustamante2
1a Neuroscience Section, Department of Neurofarba , University of Florence , Florence , Italy.
Insights
Inflammation and endothelial dysfunction contribute to cardioembolic (CE) strokes. Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels show a significant association with CE strokes compared to other stroke types.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Immunology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
Background:
- Cardioembolic (CE) strokes are linked to inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.
- Understanding the role of immune-inflammatory biomarkers is crucial for stroke pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze evidence on immune-inflammatory biomarkers in CE strokes.
- To compare biomarker associations across different stroke subtypes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of MEDLINE and stroke-biomarkers.com.
- Quality assessment and meta-analysis of selected studies.
Main Results:
- C-reactive protein (CRP) demonstrated the most consistent association with CE strokes.
- A significant association was found between CRP and CE strokes versus other subtypes (SMD 0.223; p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest a potential link between specific inflammatory biomarkers and CE stroke.
- CRP may serve as a relevant biomarker in the context of CE stroke.
Context:
Various processes including inflammation and endothelial dysfunction have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cardioembolic (CE) strokes.
Objective:
To review the evidence and investigate the association between immune-inflammatory biomarkers and CE strokes versus other stroke subtypes.
Methods:
We systematically reviewed the literature (sources: MEDLINE, web-based register http://stroke-biomarkers.com , reference lists) with quality assessment and meta-analysis of selected articles.
Results:
The most consistent association was found between C-reactive protein (CRP) and CE strokes when compared to other stroke subtypes (standardized mean difference 0.223 (0.116, 0.343); p < 0.001) Conclusions: Our findings confirm a possible association between selected inflammatory biomarkers and CE stroke.
