Effects of plasma D-dimer levels on early mortality and long-term functional outcome after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage

The activation of hemostatic systems has been detected in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. The influence of plasma D-dimer levels on clinical outcome remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of elevated plasma D-dimer levels on early mortality and long-term functional outcome in spontaneous ICH. A total of 259 spontaneous ICH patients (<24 hours from ictus) between November 2010 and October 2011 were included. Clinical information and radiological findings were collected at admission. Spearman correlation analyses revealed that D-dimer concentrations were correlated with midline shift, hematoma volume, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) score and Glasgow Coma Scale score. Patients with subarachnoid extension had significantly higher D-dimer levels than those without SAH extension. Comparison of patients with IVH and those without yielded a similar result. Multivariate stepwise backward logistic analysis identified plasma D-dimer levels as an independent risk factor for 7 day mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.237, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.017-1.504, p = 0.033) and 3 month poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ⩾3) (adjusted OR = 2.279, 95% CI 1.130-6.595, p = 0.026). The mechanisms by which elevated D-dimer affects the prognoses of spontaneous ICH patients remain unclear and require clarification in future studies.