Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum interleukin-33 (IL-33) concentrations and poststroke depression (PSD) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: Serum IL-33 concentrations were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients were assigned to the PSD group after a six-month follow-up if their score on the 17- item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was ≥7 or to the non-PSD group if their score was <7. IL-33 was used to predict the risk of PSD using multivariate logistic regression analysis, while a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the accuracy of PSD prediction. In addition, the modified Rankin scale (mRS) was used for follow-up scoring six months after disease onset.

Results: A total of 151 AIS patients and 40 healthy controls were included in this study. ROC curve results showed that the area under the curve was 0.684 (95% confidence interval: 0.594-0.774,Ρ=0.001) for IL-33 as a predictor of PSD. When the IL-33 concentration was ≤71.85 ng/L, prediction sensitivity and specificity were 77.5% and 57.3%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that IL-33 concentration of ≤71.85 ng/L was an independent predictor of PSD (95% CI: 1.129-7.515, P=0.027). The follow-up mRS data showed that serum IL-33 is a protective prognosis factor in patients with AIS (95% CI: 0.954-0.997, P=0.024).

Conclusion: Serum IL-33 is an independent predictor of PSD and a protective prognosis factor in patients with AIS.

Keywords: Acute ischemic stroke, biomarker, IL-33, poststroke depression, predictor.

Graphical Abstract