Data from the third Chinese National Stroke Registry (from August 2015 to March 2018) was analyzed, focusing on patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Participants were divided into quartiles (Q1-Q4) based on their serum blood urea nitrogen to albumin ratio (BAR) and tracked for one year. The study included 4 635 AIS patients with a median age of 63(54,70) years. Males constituted 68.78% (n=3 188) of the study population. The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 3(2,6). During the follow-up, 172 deaths occurred, with a mortality rate of 1.73%, 2.24%, 3.62%, and 7.25% in Q1-Q4, respectively. Multivariable Cox regression showed a 2.35 times higher mortality risk in the Q4 group compared to the Q1 group (HR=2.35, 95%CI: 1.41-3.92). The multivariable RCS analysis found no nonlinear link between BAR and all-cause mortality (P=0.139). ROC analysis showed a 1-year mortality prediction AUC of 0.667(95%CI:0.624-0.711) for BAR, with a cut-off of 4.103 mg/g, sensitivity of 71.4%, and specificity of 55.8%. When combined BAR with traditional risk factors, the AUC for predicting one-year mortality increased to 0.764 (95%CI: 0.727-0.801). BAR may be linked to one-year mortality in AIS patients, suggesting its potential for risk prediction and stratification.
Sun et al. (Tue,) studied this question.