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Serum Galectin-3 and Poor Outcomes Among Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke
Aili Wang1, Chongke Zhong1, Zhengbao Zhu1
1From the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, China (A.W., C.Z., Z. Z., Tan Xu, H.P., Y.Z.); Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Medical College of Soochow University, China (A.W., C.Z., Z. B., Tan Xu, H.P., Y.Z.); Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA (C.-S.C., J.C., J.H.); Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, China (Tian Xu); Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of North China University of Science and Technology, Hebei (Y.P.); Department of Neurology, Yutian County Hospital, China (J.W.); Department of Neurology, Kerqin District First People's Hospital of Tongliao City, China (Z.J.); Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Taishan Medical College, China (Q.L.); Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, China (D.G.); Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, China (Y.S.); Department of Neurology, Tongliao Municipal Hospital, China (J.Z.); Department of Neurology, Kailuan General Hospital, China (X.Y.); and Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA (J.C., J.H.).
Insights
Higher galectin-3 levels are linked to worse outcomes in ischemic stroke patients. This biomarker may help predict the risk of death or major disability after a stroke.
Area of Science:
- Biomarkers in Neurology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Stroke Medicine
Background:
- Elevated galectin-3 is linked to atherosclerosis and poor heart failure outcomes.
- The role of galectin-3 in ischemic stroke prognosis is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum galectin-3 levels and poor outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
- To determine if galectin-3 can serve as a prognostic marker for ischemic stroke.
Main Methods:
- Serum galectin-3 was measured in 3082 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke.
- The primary outcome was a composite of death or major disability (modified Rankin Scale score ≥3) assessed at 3 months post-stroke.
Main Results:
- Higher galectin-3 quartiles were significantly associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.15-2.09) and major disability (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.05-1.93).
- Galectin-3 addition improved the prediction of combined death or major disability in ischemic stroke patients (NRI 18.9%, P<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Higher serum galectin-3 levels are independently associated with a greater risk of death or major disability following ischemic stroke.
- Galectin-3 demonstrates potential prognostic value for predicting adverse outcomes in ischemic stroke.
- These findings suggest galectin-3 could be a useful biomarker in stroke patient management.
Background And Purpose:
Elevated galectin-3 has been associated with atherosclerosis and poor outcomes in patients with heart failure. However, it remains unclear whether galectin-3 has any effect on the poor outcomes of ischemic stroke. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between galectin-3 with poor outcomes among patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Methods:
Serum galectin-3 was measured in 3082 patients with acute ischemic stroke. The primary outcome was a combination of death or major disability (modified Rankin Scale score, ≥3) at 3 months after stroke.
Results:
Compared with the lowest quartile of galectin-3, multivariate adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the highest quartile of galectin-3 were 1.55 (1.15-2.09) for composite outcome, 2.10 (0.89-4.95) for death, and 1.43 (1.05-1.93) for major disability. The addition of galectin-3 to the conventional risk factors significantly improved prediction of the combined outcome of death or major disability in patients with ischemic stroke (net reclassification index, 18.9%; P<0.001; integrated discrimination improvement, 0.4%; P=0.001).
Conclusions:
Higher levels of serum galectin-3 were independently associated with increased risk of death or major disability after stroke onset, suggesting that galectin-3 may have prognostic value in poor outcomes of ischemic stroke.
