The following is a summary of “Fibrinogen‐to‐Albumin Ratio and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Large Artery Atherosclerosis Stroke,” published in the December 2023 issue of Cardiology by Wang et al.
The fibrinogen‐to‐albumin ratio (FAR) has emerged as a novel inflammatory marker with potential prognostic value in vascular diseases. However, its relationship with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) stroke remains unclear. This study sought to investigate the link between FAR levels and clinical outcomes among patients experiencing acute LAA stroke. The research involved 809 patients diagnosed with LAA stroke within 72 hours and followed up for 1 year. FAR was measured as fibrinogen (g/L) divided by albumin (g/L).
Its association with clinical outcomes – including stroke recurrence, all‐cause death, poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 3–6), and dependence (modified Rankin Scale score 3–5) – was assessed using multivariate Cox regression or logistic regression analysis. The median FAR recorded among the patients was 0.075 (interquartile range, 0.064–0.087). Over the 1-year follow-up, 103 (12.7%) experienced stroke recurrence, 105 (13.0%) faced poor functional outcomes, 76 (9.8%) were dependent, and 29 (3.6%) died. After adjusting for all confounding risk factors, a high FAR level was significantly associated with increased risks of stroke recurrence (hazard ratio, 2.57 [95% CI, 1.32–5.02]), poor functional outcome (odds ratio, 3.30 [95% CI, 1.57–6.94]), and dependence (odds ratio, 3.49 [95% CI, 1.49–8.19]) in patients with acute LAA stroke. This suggests that a high FAR level might serve as a prognostic indicator for adverse clinical outcomes in individuals experiencing acute LAA stroke.