Alcohol drinking modified the effect of plasma YKL-40 levels on stroke-specific mortality of acute ischemic stroke

A study published in the June edition of Neuroscience evaluated the association between plasma human cartilage glycoprotein-39 (YKL-40) and stroke-specific mortality at two years in acute ischemic stroke patients according to the drinking status and amount of alcohol consumption. The research also investigated the effect of the interaction between these conditions and YKL-40 levels on the outcome. YKL-40 increase according to the aging process, and its functions have been associated with tissue remodeling and systemic inflammation.
Plasma YKL-40 levels were measured in 3,267 participants from the China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke. Outcome data on stroke-specific mortality were collected at two years after stroke onset. During the two years of follow-up, 6.4% of patients, including 44 drinkers and 164 nondrinkers, died of stroke-specific causes. The patients in the highest quartile of YKL-40 had a 3.52-fold (95 % CI: 1.15-10.76) risk of stroke-specific mortality compared with those in the lowest quartile among drinkers. However, no significant association between YKL-40 and the outcome was observed among nondrinkers (HR: 1.18, 95 % CI: 0.75-1.86). Alcohol drinking modified the effect of YKL-40 on the outcome. Subgroup analyses revealed that each 1-unit increase in log-transformed YKL-40 was associated with a 72% greater risk of stroke-specific mortality for light drinkers. This association was amplified with a 226% increased risk of the outcome among heavy drinkers.
Elevated YKL-40 levels were associated with an increased risk of stroke-specific mortality at two years among drinkers with ischemic stroke. Drinking status substantially modified the effect of plasma YKL-40 levels on the outcome. This effect was amplified with the increased amount of alcohol consumption.
Source: Wang Z, Zhang K, Zhong C, Zhu Z, Zheng X, Yang P, Che B, Lu Y, Zhang Y, Xu T. Alcohol drinking modified the effect of plasma YKL-40 levels on stroke-specific mortality of acute ischemic stroke. Neuroscience. 2024 Jun 27;552:152-158.