Glucose-albumin ratio as new biomarker for predicting mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage

ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of blood-based biomarkers and their combinations, in particular the glucose-albumin ratio (GAR), in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).MethodsA retrospective observational study on 2481 patients from one hospital was conducted and validated with 602 patients from another. We assessed 15 biomarkers and focused on GAR to elucidate its prognostic and predictive value for outcomes in both cohorts. The primary outcome was mortality at 90 days.ResultsThe ratio of glucose-to-albumin, defined as GAR, was superior to other biomarkers for predicting mortality at 90 days in patients with ICH (AUC = 0.72). High GAR (using the best cutoff value of 0.19) was associated with increased mortality at 90 days (odds ratios of 1.90, 95% CI 1.54-2.34) and all-cause mortality in the first 3 years after admission (hazard ratio of 1.62, 95% CI 1.42-1.86). All aforementioned findings for GAR were successfully validated in an external independent cohort.ConclusionsGAR may be a valuable biomarker for predicting the mortality of patients with ICH.