Aim: To correlate cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) disease aggressiveness with peripheral blood biomarkers hypothesized mechanistically.
Patients & methods: A prospective case-control study enrolled 43 CCM patients, where 25-(OH) vitamin D, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol, CRP plasma levels and leukocyte ROCK activity were correlated with parameters of disease aggressiveness reflecting chronic and acute domains.
Results: Patients with one or more features of chronically aggressive disease (early age at symptom onset, two or more symptomatic bleeds, high lesion burden) had significantly lower 25-(OH) vitamin D and non-HDL cholesterol levels in comparison to patients without these features.
Conclusion: Validation of these biomarkers and their potential treatment modulation may influence the clinical care of patients with CCM disease.
Keywords: aggressiveness; biomarker; cerebral cavernous malformation; inflammation; non-HDL cholesterol; vitamin D.