Inflammatory Biomarkers are Associated with Intimal Intracranial Artery Calcification

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Cardiology
• Hematology

Background:

• Inflammatory markers and red blood cell indices are increasingly recognized as potential indicators of cerebrovascular disease.
• Intracranial artery calcification (IAC) is associated with ischemic stroke, but its subtypes and relation to specific blood markers require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between inflammatory markers, Red Blood Cell to Platelet Ratio (RPR), and Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW%) with different subtypes of IAC.
• To evaluate the relationship between these markers and the severity of ischemic stroke outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 118 ischemic stroke patients (mean age 67.3 years, 49% female).
• Standardized evaluation of IAC subtypes: intimal, medial, mixed, and none.
• Assessment of functional outcome using modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and inflammatory markers via complete blood count (CBC).

Main Results:

• Patients with predominantly intimal IAC showed significantly higher RPR levels compared to medial or mixed types.
• Increased RPR was independently associated with a higher likelihood of intimal versus medial (OR=1.53) and intimal versus mixed IAC (OR=1.34).
• Higher RPR levels independently predicted worse functional outcomes (increased mRS) after ischemic stroke (OR=1.43).

Conclusions:

• Elevated RPR is significantly correlated with intracranial intimal artery calcification in ischemic stroke patients.
• Higher RPR levels are independently associated with worse functional outcomes following ischemic stroke.
• RPR may serve as a potential biomarker for predicting stroke severity and intimal calcification.