Plasma osteopontin acts as a prognostic marker in acute intracerebral hemorrhage patients

Background: Osteopontin (OPN), a matricellular protein, is greatly generated from brain tissues after acute brain injury. We determine the relationship between plasma OPN concentrations and outcome after acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in a clinical setting.

Methods: In this prospective, observational study enrolling 162 ICH patients and 162 healthy controls, hemorrhagic severity was assessed using National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and hematoma volumes, a poor outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale >2 at poststroke 90 days, and early neurologic deterioration (END) was defined as an increase of ≥4 points in the NIHSS score or death at 24 h from symptoms onset.

Results: Plasma OPN concentrations were significantly higher in patients than in controls (median value, 1287.6 vs. 405.7 pmol/l; P < 0.001). OPN concentrations were strongly correlated with admission NIHSS scores (r value = 0.520) and hematoma volumes (r value = 0.468). Areas under receiver operating characteristic curve for poor outcome and END were 0.811 and 0.753 respectively. Plasma OPN emerged as an independent predictor of functional outcome and END, with odds ratio values of 3.897 and 6.004 respectively.

Conclusions: Plasma OPN could serve as a useful prognostic biomarker in ICH.