Post-stroke executive dysfunction and verbal fluency negatively correlated to IL8

Hala A Shaheen,Asmaa A Abd El Fattah,Lamiaa I Daker,Mohammed M Abbass

doi:10.1186/s41983-019-0090-y

Hala A Shaheen, Asmaa A Abd El Fattah + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s41983-019-0090-y

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Abstract

BackgroundPatients with acute ischemic stroke are at a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment which could be often attributed to cytokine activation.ObjectivesTo explore the relationship between the cognitive performance and the inflammatory markers in the ischemic stroke patients at the early stage.Patients and methodsA cross-sectional case-control study was performed on 44 ischemic stroke patients. The patients underwent the following battery of evaluation: (A) assessment of stroke disability by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). (B) neuropsychological evaluation using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale, trail making test (TMT), and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). (C) Assessment of depression was done by using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Measurement of the serum levels of ESR, C-reactive protein, and IL-8 was done. This study included 44 ages, sex, and educational level matched controls for comparison of neuropsychological tests and serum level of IL-8.ResultsThe patients showed worse performance in neuropsychological tests (MMSE, MoCA, COWAT, TMT) than the controls. There was a significant negative correlation between the serum level of IL-8 and (MoCA) (r = − 0.43, p = 0.004), verbal fluency (r = − 0.56, p < 0.001), and positive significant correlation between IL8 and executive functions (r = 0.61, p < 0.001).ConclusionThe cognitive impairment in early acute ischemic stroke is highly correlated to the serum level of IL-8.

Highlights

Cerebrovascular stroke was considered to be the third cause of death and morbidity worldwide
The cognitive impairment in early acute ischemic stroke is highly correlated to the serum level of interleukin 8 (IL-8)
Different mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of stroke, there is increasing evidence showing that inflammation could play a role in stroke progression, at least in acute phase [1], several inflammatory mediators may be involved in pathogenesis of acute stroke including CRP (C-reactive protein), interleukin-1b (IL-1b), IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, and IL-10 and may have prognostic role after the acute ischemic stroke [2]

Summary

Introduction

Cerebrovascular stroke was considered to be the third cause of death and morbidity worldwide. The cognitive impairment observed in post-stroke patients was variable. It could be global cognitive deficits or domain-specific impairments including executive dysfunction, short-term memory problems and language, and visuospatial disabilities [3]. Cognitive impairment is often associated with cytokine activation [4]. The identification of clinical determinants and laboratory markers of post-stroke cognitive deficits may help to detect the patients at increased risk of cognitive deterioration and to prevent or delay the occurrence of poststroke cognitive impairments. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the cognitive impairment to the inflammatory markers in the ischemic stroke patients (within the first 48 h). Patients with acute ischemic stroke are at a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment which could be often attributed to cytokine activation

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