Proenkephalin A Adds No Incremental Prognostic Value After Acute Ischemic Stroke

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Biomarker Research
• Cardiovascular Medicine

Background:

• Acute ischemic stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and mortality.
• Identifying reliable prognostic markers is crucial for patient management and therapeutic strategies.
• Previous studies suggested proenkephalin A (PENK-A) as a potential prognostic marker in stroke.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the prognostic utility of plasma proenkephalin A (PENK-A) concentrations in a large cohort of acute ischemic stroke patients.
• To confirm or refute the role of PENK-A as an independent predictor of functional outcome and mortality post-stroke.

Main Methods:

• Plasma PENK-A levels were measured in 320 acute ischemic stroke patients within 72 hours of symptom onset.
• Functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale) and mortality at 90 days were assessed as primary outcomes.
• Logistic and Cox regression analyses were employed to determine associations, adjusting for relevant covariates.

Main Results:

• Adjusted analyses revealed no independent association between PENK-A levels and unfavorable functional outcome (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 0.16-10.35).
• Similarly, PENK-A was not independently associated with 90-day mortality (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.14-7.33).

Conclusions:

• Proenkephalin A (PENK-A) does not appear to be an independent prognostic marker for acute ischemic stroke patients.
• These findings do not support the use of PENK-A as a standalone prognostic tool in this validation cohort.