Relationship between β-amyloid protein 1-42, thyroid hormone levels and the risk of cognitive impairment after ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is not only a common consequence of stroke but also an important factor for adverse prognosis of patients. Biochemical indicators such as blood lipids and blood pressure are affected by many factors, and the ability of evaluating the progress of patients with PSCI is insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to find sensitive markers for predicting the progress of patients and avoiding PSCI. Recent studies have shown that β-amyloid protein 1-42 (Aβ1-42) and thyroid hormone levels are closely related to PSCI, which may be the influencing factors of PSCI, but there are few related studies. AIM: To investigate the relationship between serum levels of Aβ and thyroid hormones in acute stage and PSCI and its predicted value.
METHODS: A total of 195 patients with acute cerebral infarction confirmed from June 2016 to January 2018 were enrolled in this study. Baseline data and serological indicators were recorded to assess cognitive function of patients. All patients were followed up for 1 year. Their cognitive functions were evaluated within 1 wk, 3 mo, 6 mo and 1 yr after stroke. At the end of follow-up, the patients were divided into PSCI and non-PSCI according to Montreal cognitive assessment score, and the relationship between biochemical indexes and the progression of PSCI was explored.
RESULTS: Compared with patients with non-PSCI, the levels of Aβ1-42, triiodothyronine (T3) and free thyroxin were lower in the patients with PSCI. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the overall content of Aβ1-42 and T3 in PSCI was also lower than that of the non-PSCI patients. Further analysis revealed that Aβ1-42 (r = 0.348), T3 (r = 0.273) and free thyroxin (r = 0.214) were positively correlated with disease progression (P < 0.05), suggesting that these indicators have the potential to predict disease progression and outcome. Cox regression analysis showed that Aβ1-42 and T3 were important factors of PSCI. Then stratified analysis showed that the lower the Aβ1-42 and T3, the higher risk of PSCI in patients who were aged over 70, female and illiterate.
CONCLUSION: Aβ1-42 and T3 have the ability to predict the progression of PSCI, which is expected to be applied clinically to reduce the incidence of PSCI and improve the quality of life of patients. ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.