Abstract
BACKGROUND: We studied the association between high serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and clinical outcomes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. METHODS: Patients were divided into group A (<20 mL), group B (20-30 mL), and group C (>30 mL) based on the bleeding amount. ICH patients were also categorized into the mild group, moderate group (16-30), and severe group (31-45) based on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The serum levels of VEGF in acute ICH patients detected at 24, 48, and 72 hours were obtained using ELISA kit, and then compared with control group. Main clinical outcomes were evaluated using the modified Rankin scale at 90 days. RESULTS: The serum levels of VEGF were significantly higher than those in the control group. The serum levels of VEGF in group C were specifically higher compared with those in other two groups. The severe group exhibited higher levels of VEGF than the other two groups. NIHSS scores in patients with good outcomes were lower than those with poor outcomes. Besides, VEGF levels in patients with good outcomes were much higher than those in patients with poor outcomes. ROC results indicated that the optimal cut-off value of VEGF at 72 hours for predicting good outcomes was 111.17 pg/mL with 91.5 sensitivity, 98.7 specificity, and an AUC of 0.952 Our results showed that higher serum levels of VEGF were associated with process of ICH. CONCLUSION: VEGF could be a new marker in ICH for severity.