Association of Serum Osteoprotegerin Levels with Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque in Acute Ischaemic Stroke Patients

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum osteoprotegerin(OPG)and carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with cerebral infarction.Methods According to color Doppler assessment,patients with cerebral infarction were classified as having atherosclerotic plaques(plaque group,n=64)or not having atherosclerotic plaques(non-plaque group,n=32).Patients with atherosclerotic plaques were further divided into stable plaque group(n=30)and unstable plaque group(n=34). Serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),homocysteine(Hcy) were measured using automatic biochemical analyzer. Serum levels of OPG were determined by ELISA. The results were compared with healthy controls(control group, n=31).Results Compared with control group,serum levels of CRP,Hcy and OPG significantly increased in non-plaque group, stable plaque group and unstable plaque group(P0.05).Compared with non-plaque group,serum OPG levels increased in stable plaque group.Compared with stable plaque group or non-plaque group,serum OPG levels increased in unstable plaque group(P0.05). Conclusion Serum OPG levels significantly increase and are closely related to carotid atherosclerotic plaque stability in patients with cerebral infarction.