Serhat V Okar1, Mehmet A Topcuoglu1, Muge Yemisci2, Canan Cakir Aktas3, Kader K Oguz4, Ethem M Arsava5. 1. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. 2. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. 3. Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. 4. Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. 5. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: arsavaem@hotmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: There is a delicate homeostatic balance between the central nervous system and immune system. Stroke triggers an immunodepressive state to suppress a potential immune reaction directed against neuroglial tissue; however, this supposedly protective response inadvertently results in an infection-prone, and thereby a pro-inflammatory setting. In this study, we assessed the magnitude of cerebral volume loss in the unaffected contralateral hemisphere following stroke, and determined its relationship with inflammatory cascades. METHODS: The volume of the hemisphere contralateral to the ischemic insult was measured on admission and follow-up MRI's in 50 ischemic stroke patients. Information related to clinical features, infectious complications, and markers of inflammation (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein) were prospectively collected, and their relationship with hemispheric volume change was evaluated using bivariate and multivariate statistics. RESULTS: The contralateral hemisphere volume decreased by a median (interquartile range) of 14 (4-32) mL after a follow-up duration of 101 (63-123) days (p < .001); the volume reduction was 0.8 (0.2-1.8) % per month with respect to baseline. Old age, atrial fibrillation, stroke severity, C-reactive protein level, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and development of infections during hospitalization were significantly associated with volume loss (p < .05). Stroke severity (NIHSS score or infarct volume) and inflammation related parameters (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio or systemic infections) remained independently and positively associated with volume loss in multivariate regression models. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral tissue changes following stroke are not limited to the ischemic hemisphere. Apart from stroke severity, a pro-inflammatory state and post-stroke infections contribute to cerebral volume loss in the non-ischemic hemisphere.
OBJECTIVES: There is a delicate homeostatic balance between the central nervous system and immune system. Stroke triggers an immunodepressive state to suppress a potential immune reaction directed against neuroglial tissue; however, this supposedly protective response inadvertently results in an infection-prone, and thereby a pro-inflammatory setting. In this study, we assessed the magnitude of cerebral volume loss in the unaffected contralateral hemisphere following stroke, and determined its relationship with inflammatory cascades. METHODS: The volume of the hemisphere contralateral to the ischemic insult was measured on admission and follow-up MRI's in 50 ischemic strokepatients. Information related to clinical features, infectious complications, and markers of inflammation (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein) were prospectively collected, and their relationship with hemispheric volume change was evaluated using bivariate and multivariate statistics. RESULTS: The contralateral hemisphere volume decreased by a median (interquartile range) of 14 (4-32) mL after a follow-up duration of 101 (63-123) days (p < .001); the volume reduction was 0.8 (0.2-1.8) % per month with respect to baseline. Old age, atrial fibrillation, stroke severity, C-reactive protein level, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and development of infections during hospitalization were significantly associated with volume loss (p < .05). Stroke severity (NIHSS score or infarct volume) and inflammation related parameters (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio or systemic infections) remained independently and positively associated with volume loss in multivariate regression models. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral tissue changes following stroke are not limited to the ischemic hemisphere. Apart from stroke severity, a pro-inflammatory state and post-stroke infections contribute to cerebral volume loss in the non-ischemic hemisphere.
Authors: Ning Bu; Leonid Churilov; Mohamed Salah Khlif; Robin Lemmens; Anke Wouters; Jochen B Fiebach; Angel Chamorro; E Bernd Ringelstein; Bo Norrving; Rico Laage; Martin Grond; Guido Wilms; Amy Brodtmann; Vincent Thijs Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2022-01-28 Impact factor: 4.003