Predictive value of serum adiponectin and hemoglobin levels for vascular cognitive impairment in ischemic stroke patients

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential predictive value of serum adiponectin (APN) and hemoglobin (Hb) levels for the occurrence of vascular cognitive impairment in ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: Eighty ischemic stroke patients, admitted to our hospital between June 2019 and November 2020, were retrospectively divided into no cognitive impairment (NCI) group (n=43) and cognitive impairment (CI) group (n=37) based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scale scoring at three months follow-up. ELISA was used to assess serum Hb and APN levels and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created to evaluate correlation. RESULTS: Serum APN and Hb levels were lower in the vascular cognitive impairment group compared to non-impaired counterparts. Pearson correlation analysis showed that both APN and Hb levels were positively correlated with MoCA scores. Area under curve analysis indicated predictive value for serum APN and Hb for predicting cognitive impairment in ischemic stroke patients. CONCLUSION: Serum APN and Hb levels in ischemic stroke patients have value for predicting vascular cognitive impairment and may be suitable for helping dictate treatment planning.