Study: Four Biomarkers Predict Stroke Risk

New research finds that individuals with high levels of 4 biomarkers in the blood may be at greater risk of developing a stroke compared with those with low levels of these biomarkers.

In an effort to relate a panel of inflammatory biomarkers to risk of incident ischemic stroke (IIS) to a community-dwelling sample, investigators measured the levels of 15 biomarkers linked to inflammation in the blood of individuals from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. Participants had never had a stroke. Overall, 3224 patients, with an average age of 61 years at the time the study began, were followed for an average of 9 years. During that time, 98 of these patients experienced a stroke, according to the authors.
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Of these 15 biomarkers, 4 were connected to a higher stroke risk. For example, participants with elevated homocysteine were found to be at a 32% greater risk of having a stroke. Patients with high vascular endothelial growth factor were at 25% higher risk, while those with a high C-reactive protein level were 28% more likely to experience a stroke. In addition, study participants with high tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 were 33% more likely to develop a stroke during the period of the study.

The findings demonstrate improved predictive ability of the Framingham Stroke Risk Profile score for IIS through the addition of these 4 circulating biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, according to the authors, who noted that future research investigating whether any of these biomarkers could serve as therapeutic targets for primary stroke prevention is warranted.

"Identifying people who are at risk for stroke can help us determine who would benefit most from existing or new therapies or stroke," said lead author Ashkan Shoamanesh, MD, an assistant professor in the neurology division of McMaster University's Department of Medicine in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

"Future research could also investigate whether lowering the levels of these biomarkers or blocking their action could be a way to prevent strokes," Dr Shoamanesh added. "However, our study does not provide evidence that these markers are validated well enough to be implemented in clinical practice."

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Shoamanesh A, Preis S. Circulating biomarkers and incident ischemic stroke in the Framingham Study [published online August 24, 2015] Neurology.