The Association Between the Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio and Intracranial Arterial Stenosis in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

The association between the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has not yet been reported. In this large-scale investigation, 7894 AIS patients with ICAS-evaluation imaging data from the Third China National Stroke Registry were included. ICAS was defined as >50% stenosis of the intracranial arteries. We dichotomized the degree of ICAS into stenosis and occlusion. The number of ICAS lesions was the total number of intracranial stenotic arteries. Fibrinogen and albumin levels were assessed in the central laboratory of Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Univariate and multivariate analyses with logistic regression were used to determine the association between the FAR quartiles and ICAS. A total of 3900 (49.66%) patients had ICAS. Compared with those of the lowest FAR quartile, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the highest FAR quartile were 1.26 (1.10–1.44), 1.15 (.99–1.33), and 1.19 (1.01–1.39) for ICAS, symptomatic ICAS, and asymptomatic ICAS, respectively. An elevated FAR was also associated with occlusion (adjusted OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.10–1.49) and lesion number ≥2 (adjusted OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.07–1.45).