Plasma Osteoprotegerin and Cognitive Impairment after Ischemic Stroke

Background: Plasma osteoprotegerin (OPG) has been linked to poor prognosis following stroke, but its impact on post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is unknown. The purpose of our work was to analyze the relationship of OPG with PSCI. Methods: Our study included 613 ischemic stroke subjects with plasma OPG levels. We used the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to assess PSCI. PSCI was defined as MMSE score <25 or MoCA score <23. Results: As assessed by the MMSE score, the adjusted odds ratio for PSCI in the highest OPG tertile was 1.77, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.09 to 2.89 (Ptrend=0.021), compared to that in the lowest tertile. We observed a positive linear relationship of plasma OPG levels with 3- month PSCI (P for linearity=0.046). Incorporating plasma OPG into conventional risk factors enhanced PSCI risk reclassification (all P < 0.05). Consistent results were discovered when PSCI was evaluated using the MoCA score Conclusion: High plasma OPG levels were related to an elevated risk of 3-month PSCI, indicating that OPG might be an effective biomarker for predicting PSCI.