1. Higher serum β2-microglobulin is a predictive biomarker for cognitive impairment in spinal cord injury.
- Author
-
Cui Z, Wang S, Hao Y, and Chen Y
- Subjects
- Humans, beta 2-Microglobulin analysis, Biomarkers, Blood Pressure, Cognitive Dysfunction diagnosis, Spinal Cord Injuries complications
- Abstract
Objective: Recent studies have suggested that high levels of β2-microglobulin are linked to cognitive deterioration; however, it is unclear how this connects to spinal cord injury (SCI). This study sought to determine whether there was any association between cognitive decline and serum β2-microglobulin levels in patients with SCI., Methods: A total of 96 patients with SCI and 56 healthy volunteers were enrolled as study participants. At the time of enrollment, specific baseline data including age, gender, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), smoking, and alcohol use were recorded. Each participant was assessed by a qualified physician using the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale. Serum β2-microglobulin levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reagent for β2-microglobulin., Results: A total of 152 participants were enrolled, with 56 in the control group and 96 in the SCI group. There were no significant baseline data differences between the two groups ( p > 0.05). The control group had a MoCA score of 27.4 ± 1.1 and the SCI group had a score of 24.3 ± 1.5, with the difference being significant ( p < 0.05). The serum ELISA results revealed that the levels of β2-microglobulin in the SCI group were considerably higher ( p < 0.05) than those in the control group (2.08 ± 0.17 g/mL compared to 1.57 ± 0.11 g/mL). The serum β2-microglobulin level was used to categorize the patients with SCI into four groups. As serum β2-microglobulin levels increased, the MoCA score reduced ( p < 0.05). After adjustment of baseline data, further regression analysis showed that serum β2-microglobulin level remained an independent risk factor for post-SCI cognitive impairment., Conclusions: Patients with SCI had higher serum levels of β2-microglobulin, which may be a biomarker for cognitive decline following SCI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Cui et al.)
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF