Serum Neuropeptide Y: A Potential Prognostic Marker of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

OBJECTIVE: Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a 36-amino acid neuromodulator, is mainly secreted by neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems, which participate in the regulation of a series of physiological processes. However, there are few studies on its correlation with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). The purpose of this study is to determine whether the serum NPY level is related to the prognosis of ICH. METHODS: 364 patients diagnosed with ICH were included in the current study. The demographics, anthropometrics, medical history, clinical severity, and laboratory data are collected. Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum NPY level of each patient upon admission. Three months after the occurrence of ICH, we used the modified Rankin scale (mRS) to evaluate the prognosis of patients, and mRS > 2 was defined as a poor prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 364 patients with ICH were included in the study, including 140 patients with a good prognosis and 224 patients with a poor prognosis. Compared with patients with a poor prognosis, ICH patients with a good prognosis have a lower baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (p = 0.036) and smaller hematoma volume (p = 0.039). The results of ELISA showed that compared with patients with a poor prognosis, ICH patients with a good prognosis had lower serum NPY levels (19.4 ± 3.7 vs. 27.6 ± 3.3 ng/ml, p < 0.001). Linear correlation analysis showed that the serum NPY level of ICH patients was significantly positively correlated with the baseline NIHSS score (r = 0.413, p = 0.041) and hematoma volume (r = 0.308, p = 0.026). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the sensitivity of the serum NPY level to predict the prognosis of ICH was 70.9%, the specificity was 72.6%, and the cut-off value was 24.2 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The serum NPY level may be used as a predictor of ICH prognosis.