Cerebrospinal Fluid Free Fatty Acid Levels Are Associated with Stroke Subtypes and Severity in Chinese Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

ObjectiveTo assess the clinical significance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free fatty acid (FFA) levels in Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke.MethodsFrom December 2011 to October 2014, all patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke were recruited to participate in the study. CSF levels of FFAs were assayed at 4 time points, and severity of stroke was evaluated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score on admission.ResultsMedian CSF FFA levels were significantly (P < 0.0001) higher in patients with stroke compared with control subjects. CSF FFA levels reflected the disease severity of acute ischemic stroke. There were significant positive associations between CSF FFA levels and NIHSS scores (r = 0.424, P < 0.0001) and infarct volume (r = 0.289, P < 0.0001). CSF FFA levels in patients with cardioembolic (CE) stroke were significantly higher compared with patients with non-CE stroke (0.34 mmol/L [interquartile range, 0.26–0.42] vs. 0.14 mmol/L [interquartile range, 0.08–0.23]; P < 0.0001). Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cutoff value of CSF FFA levels as an indicator for the diagnosis of CE stroke was projected to be 0.22 mmol/L, which yielded a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 75.3%, and the area under the curve was 0.873 (95% confidence interval, 0.810–0.935).ConclusionsCSF FFA levels at the time of admission were associated with stroke severity and lesion volumes. In addition, CE stroke can be distinguished from other stroke etiologies by measuring CSF FFA levels very early.