High Level of Serum Tissue Kallikrein Is Associated with Favorable Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess the association between a serum tissue kallikrein (TK) level and a 90-day outcome in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who received acute reperfusion therapy. METHODS: Consecutive AIS patients within 6 hours after stroke onset between December 2015 and August 2017 were prospectively recruited. Blood samples were collected before acute reperfusion therapy for serum TK measurement. Outcome was modified Rankin scale (mRS) score at 90 days after stroke onset. Binary logistic regression was performed to analyze the association between the baseline TK level and the clinical outcome. RESULTS: Between December 2015 and August 2017, 75 patients (age range from 33 to 91 years, 72.0% male) were recruited in this study. Higher baseline TK was independently associated with a favorable functional outcome (mRS 0-2) (odds ratio 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.02, p = 0.047) and low mortality rate (odds ratio 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-1.00, p = 0.049) at 90 days. Increased TK level was associated with 90 d mRS (0-2) with area under the curve of 0.719 (95% CI 0.596-0.842; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Serum TK can be a promising predictor of clinical outcome in AIS patients who received acute reperfusion therapy.