Carotid thickness and atherosclerotic plaque stability, serum inflammation, serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 were associated with acute cerebral infarction

Correlations of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), atherosclerotic plaque stability, serum inflammatory factors and serum matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 levels with the condition of disease in patients with acute cerebral infarction were analyzed to explore the predictive value of these risk factors. A total of 56 patients diagnosed with acute cerebral infarction in Jingmen First People's Hospital from February 2016 to January 2017 were selected and divided into the plaque stability group (n=25) and plaque instability group (n=31). Our results showed that the level of total cholesterol (TC) in the plaque instability group was significantly higher than that in the plaque stability group (P<0.05). IMT and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score in the plaque instability group were significantly higher than those in the plaque stability group, but eccentricity index (EI) and Barthel index were significantly lower than those in the plaque stability group (P<0.05). The serum C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in the plaque instability group were significantly higher than those in the plaque stability group (P<0.05). The levels of serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the plaque instability group were significantly higher than those in the plaque stability group (P<0.05). Barthel index was correlated with IMT (r=−0.693, P<0.01), MMP-2 (r=−0.605, P<0.01), CRP (r=−0.765, P<0.01) and EI (r=0.811, P<0.01), respectively. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), TC, systolic blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, IMT, EI, CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, MMP-2 and MMP-9 had independent predictive values for acute cerebral infarction (P<0.05). Carotid IMT, stability of the atherosclerotic plaque, serum inflammation, serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels have close correlations with acute cerebral infarction. The larger the carotid IMT is, the more unstable the plaque is and the higher the levels of serum inflammatory factors, MMP-2 and MMP-9 are, the greater the risk of acute cerebral infarction will be.