High Serum Complement Component C4 as An Unique Predictor of Unfavorable Outcomes in Diabetic Stroke
Abstract Objective: Previous studies demonstrated that diabetic stroke patient had a poor prognosis and excess activation of the complement system in the peripheral blood. In this study, the association of serum complement levels with prognosis of diabetic stroke was examined. Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke were recruited and were divided into two groups according to the history of diabetes. Baseline data on the admission including C3 and C4 were collected. Neurologic function at discharge was the primary outcome and was quantified by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Results: A total of 426 patients with acute ischemic stroke (116 diabetic stroke and 310 non-diabetic stroke) were recruited in this study. There were significant differences on hypertension, CHD, TG, HDL, FGB, C4, and mortality rate between two groups. Furthermore, the values of complement protein levels were divided into tertiles. In diabetic stroke group, serum C4 level at acute phase in the upper third was independently associated with NIHSS score at discharge and concurrent infection. This associations were not significant in non-diabetic stroke. Conclusion: High serum C4 level at admission, as an unique significant predictor, was associated with unfavorable clinical outcome in the diabetic stroke, independently of traditional risk factors.