ABSTRACT
Objectives: The monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) has been considered to be a novel inflammatory marker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, its role in the acute phase of acute isolated pontine infarctions remains elusive. We explored whether an association existed between elevated MHR levels and early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with isolated pontine infarction. Methods: Data from 212 patients with acute isolated pontine infarction were retrospectively analyzed. We examined the MHR in quartiles of increasing levels to evaluate for possible threshold effects. END was defined as an elevation in the total National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥2 or an increase in NIHSS score ≥1 in motor power within the first week after symptom onset. Patients were divided into an END group and a non-END group. The association of MHR on END following pontine infarction was examined by logistic regression models after adjusting for age, NIHSS at admission, basilar artery stenosis, history of hypertension or hyperlipidemia or stroke, infarct size, fasting blood glucose, and paramedian pontine infarction. Results: The mean MHR was 0.44 ± 0.22. A total of 58 (27.36%) patients were diagnosed with END. END occurred within the first 48 h after hospitalization in 38 patients (65.52%). After adjusting for confounding and risk factors, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed NIHSS at admission [odds ratio (OR), 1.228; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.036-1.456], basilar artery stenosis (OR, 2.843; 95% CI, 1.205-6.727), and fasting blood glucose (OR, 1.296; 95% CI, 1.004-1.672) were independently associated with END. The odds ratio of END increased as the quartile level of MHR increased, with the lowest quartile used as the reference value. Compared to the first quartile of MHR, the third and fourth quartiles were associated with 4.847-fold (95% CI, 1.532-15.336) and 5.824-fold (95% CI, 1.845-18.385) higher odds of END in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Elevated MHR levels may be valuable as a biomarker of END in patients with isolated pontine infarction. The elevated MHR was independently associated with END in isolated pontine infarction.
ABSTRACT
In the general population, there is a strong inverse relationship between the number of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics and the total incidence of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. However, the prevalence of ideal CVH is extremely low and there are few studies on its association with newly found asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (AICAS). Therefore, we performed this prospective study to assess the relationship between the newly found AICAS and ideal CVH metrics in the Chinese community population. Seven ideal CVH metrics of 3,475 participants in the Asymptomatic Polyvascular Abnormalities Community study (APAC) conducted in China (1,962 men and 1,513 women between the ages of 45 and 75 years) were collected. Based on the occurrence of newly found AICAS, all participants were divided into the AICAS group and non-ICAS group. Prevalence of ideal CVH metrics was compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association of newly found AICAS with ideal CVH metrics. The result was the number of ideal CVH metrics was strongly associated with age, gender, education levels and family income (each P < 0.0001). Among the seven CVH metrics total cholesterol (TC) was the only one showing significant difference between the newly found AICAS group and non-ICAS group in our 2 years observation. Participants with less ideal CVH metrics (≤3) were associated with significantly higher prevalence of AICAS than those with more (>3) ideal CVH metrics (OR, 1.27; P = 0.045). Furthermore, less (≤3) ideal CVH metrics was markedly associated with higher incidence of AICAS for all participants, younger participants (<60 years) (OR, 1.34; P = 0.046) and men participants (OR, 1.53; P = 0.032) after adjustment for gender, age, education level, family income and stroke history. Thus we conclude that participants with newly found AICAS have high prevalence of total cholesterol status, and Individuals with low ideal CVH metrics (≤3) are associated with significantly higher prevalence of asymptomatic ICAS, especially in high-risk population of young and men participants. Therefore, primordial prevention of stroke should also focus on those high-risk populations.
