Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), plasma thrombomodulin (PTM), and interleukin-12 (IL-12) in the peripheral blood of patients with stroke-associated infections (SAIs) and clarify their correlation with secondary nosocomial infection. METHODS: Clinical data from 75 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) complicated by SAIs admitted between January 2022 and October 2024 were retrospectively analyzed as the infected group. Another 60 AIS patients without infection during the same period were selected as the uninfected group. Peripheral blood levels of MIP-1α, PTM, and IL-12 were measured, and their correlation with secondary nosocomial infection was evaluated. RESULTS: Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum MIP-1α, PTM, and IL-12 levels were positively correlated with inflammatory cytokines, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), procalcitonin, and IL-6 in the infected group (all P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that elevated serum MIP-1α, PTM, and IL-12 levels were independent risk factors for AIS-associated infection (P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the combined prediction of serum MIP-1α, PTM, and IL-12 yielded a larger area under the curve for predicting SAIs compared with any individual marker. CONCLUSION: Patients with SAIs exhibited elevated serum levels of MIP-1α, IL-12, and PTM, demonstrating significant diagnostic value for stroke-associated infection.