Serum YKL-40 Levels and White Matter Hyperintensities in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Background White matter hyperintensity (WMH) is associated with risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and poor outcomes after AIS. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the association between serum YKL-40 levels and WMH burden in patients with AIS. Methods From February 2020 to March 2021, a total of 672 consecutive AIS patients with magnetic resonance imaging data were prospectively recruited form two centers. Serum YKL-40 levels were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The burden of WMH was semiquantitatively measured by the Fazekas visual grading scale. According to severity of overall WMH, patients were dichotomized into none–mild WMH group (Fazekas score 0–2) or moderate–severe WMH group (Fazekas score 3–6). Besides, based on severity of periventricular WMH (PV-WMH) and deep WMH (D-WMH), patients were categorized as none–mild (Fazekas score 0–1) or moderate–severe (Fazekas score 2–3). Results Among the 672 patients, 335 (49.9%) participants were identified with moderate–severe overall WMH, 326 (48.5%) with moderate–severe PV-WMH and 262 (39.0%) with moderate–severe D-WMH. Compared with the first quartile of serum YKL-40, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of the fourth quartile for moderate–severe PV-WMH was 2.473 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.316–4.646; P =0.005). No significant association was observed between YKL-40 and overall WMH (OR 0.762; 95% CI 0.434–1.336; P =0.343) or D-WMH (OR 0.695; 95% CI 0.413–1.171; P =0.172). Conclusion Our results suggested that higher YKL-40 levels appeared to be associated with PV-WMH, but not with overall WMH or D-WMH in patients with AIS.

Association between Citrullinated Histone H3 and White Matter Lesions Burden in Patients with Ischemic Stroke

“…Our results showed a prevalence of 46.0% for severe WMLs, which was in parallel with previous research [29,30], while higher than the findings (36.4% for severe WMLs) by Suda and colleagues [31]. Additionally, previous studies have demonstrated that Figure 1.…”

“…Our results showed a prevalence of 46.0% for severe WMLs, which was in parallel with previous research [29,30], while higher than the findings (36.4% for severe WMLs) by Suda and colleagues [31]. Additionally, previous studies have demonstrated that increasing age, hypertension, and baseline blood glucose were prominent risk factors for WMLs [29][30][31]. However, our study did not observe any associations of vascular risk factors with WMLs.…”

Higher High-Mobility Group Box-1 Levels are Associated with White Matter Lesions in Ischemic Stroke Patients

“…These results broadly agree with the findings of previous studies. 23,27 A significant association was found between Large-artery atherosclerosis and WMLs burden, which is not supported by some other studies. 21,28 This discrepancy is partly due to the differences in the study population and methods of assessing WMLs.…”

Correlation between body composition and white matter hyperintensity in patients with acute ischemic stroke

“…[26] These differences may provide possible explanations for the relationship between different body composition and WMH. The proportion of moderate-severe WMH is higher than described in the literature, [27,28] this could be attributed to the population studied influencing the results.…”