Level of fibrinogen, D-dimers and C-reactive protein, and correlations between these parameters in ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke

Abstract

Introduction and objective. Fibrinogen (FIB) and C-reactive protein (CRP) play an important role in any inflammatory response. FIB levels may be higher in stroke patients compared to non-stroke patients. CRP is used to detect inflammation due to its high sensitivity in aseptic inflammation. Blood levels of d--dimer (DD) are used to determine the amount of fibrin formed and distributed. Inflammation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of haemorrhagic stroke causing primal damage, and in ischemic stroke causing secondary damage due to a decrease in perfusion in the brain. The aim of the study is to prove the hypothesis that the inflammatory process is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke. Materials and method. The study used data from a retrospective study conducted on a group of 402 stroke patients, among which the levels of FIB, CRP and DD were compared. The patients were hospitalized in the Department of Neurology of the Medical University (MU) in Białystok from 1 January -31 December 2016. Patients' data was obtained from medical records. The diagnosis of stroke was confirmed by CT of the head. Patients with other brain injuries were excluded from the study. The study was approved by the Bioethics Committee of the MU of Bialystok. The applied research method was the statistical method. Results. A positive moderate correlation was found between CRP and FIB. In the group of patients with ischemic stroke it was higher (0.59) than in the group of patients with haemorrhagic stroke(0.22). Moreover, in the group of patients with ischemic stroke, a correlation was found between DD and CRP(0.517). Conclusions.Inflammatory process is involved in pathogenesis of ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke, but could be associated with comorbid diseases. Increased CRP correlates with higher levels of FIB and DD in the ischemic stroke but not in the haemorrhagic stroke.