Clinical Significance of Plasma D-Dimer and Fibrinogen in Outcomes after Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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Background: There is increasing evidence on the prognostic significance of D-dimer and fibrinolysis in stroke. However, the systematic analysis of their relationship with adverse outcomes after stroke is lacking. Herein, we comprehensively assessed the correlation of D-dimer and fibrinolysis with stroke outcomes through meta-analysis. Methods: Studies for systematic literature review were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. The association of D-dimer and fibrinolysis with outcomes of stroke patients was expressed as an odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: Totally, 52 studies comprising 21,473 stroke patients were included. The results showed that the high D-dimer level was significantly associated with peripheral venous thrombosis after stroke (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05), poor outcome (MRS >2) after stroke (OR 1.731, 95% CI 1.464–2.048), death after stroke (OR 2.367, 95% CI 1.737–3.224), stroke recurrence (OR 1.229, 95% CI 1.113–1.358), and early neurologic deterioration (NIHSS >4) (OR 1.791, 95% CI 1.117–2.870). Moreover, high fibrinogen level was significantly associated with poor outcome (MRS >2) after stroke (OR 1.650, 95% CI 1.314–2.071), death after stroke (OR 1.310, 95% CI 1.128–1.520), stroke recurrence (OR 1.228, 95% CI 1.166–1.422), early neurologic deterioration (NIHSS >4) (OR 2.381, 95% CI 1.156–4.904), and coronary events after stroke (OR 1.427, 95% CI 1.232–1.653). Conclusion: Fibrinogen and D-dimer may be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with stroke, suggesting that they may serve as possible biomarkers for post-stroke adverse outcomes.