Abstract
Background: Liver cirrhosis is a confirmed risk factor for worse clinical outcomes of stroke, however the contribution of liver fibrosis to cardioembolic stroke (CES) and its short-term outcomes are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate whether liver fibrosis is associated with more severe stroke, worse short-term clinical outcomes of acute CES, due to nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), as well as the impact of sex on the association. Methods: Using data of 522 patients with NVAF admitted within 48 hours after acute symptom of CES onset. We calculated Fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) and defined liver fibrosis as: likely advanced fibrosis (FIB-4>3.25), indeterminate (FIB-4, 1.45-3.25), unlikely advanced fibrosis (FIB-4<1.45). We invested the impact of liver fibrosis degree on stroke severity on admission, major disability at discharge and all cause death at 90 days stratified by sex. Results: Among 522 acute CES patients with NVAF, the mean FIB-4 on admission reflected intermediate fibrosis, whereas liver enzymes were largely normal. After adjusting for possible confounders, multivariate analyses revealed that likely advanced liver fibrosis was associated with severe stroke (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.04-3.54), major disability at discharge (OR=4.59, 95% CI: 1.88-11.18), and 90-days mortality (HR=1.25, 95% CI: 1.10-1.56). Further grouped by sex, these associations were stronger in males but not significant in females.Conclusions: In patients with largely normal liver enzyme, likely advanced liver fibrosis is associated with severe stroke, major disability and all cause death after acute CES due to NVAF; the association unfolded more obvious in males, but not for females.
Sex Differences in the Association Between Liver Fibrosis and Clinical Outcomes in Acute Cardioembolic Stroke Population With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation