Activation of the coagulation and fibrinolysis system is a significant factor in secondary brain injury following spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). However, the relationships between plasma D-dimer, the smallest fibrinolysis-specific degradation product, and its implications for haematoma expansion (HE), in-hospital mortality, and coma at discharge in ICH patients have yet to be system-atically explored, highlighting the need for further research in this area.

In this study, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of plasma D-dimer levels in a sample consisting of 451 patients diagnosed with ICH and 114 healthy controls. Our approach included baseline measurements, such as haematoma volume, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, to evaluate and quantify neurological deficits following ICH. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent relationship between plasma D-dimer levels and clinical outcomes. To investigate the role of D-dimer in secondary brain injury, we analysed the changes in plasma D-dimer levels at admission and on days 3, 7, and 14 in the ICH with HE subgroup. Finally, we conducted a prognostic evaluation based on in-hospital mortality and the rate of coma at discharge.

The study revealed a marked increase in plasma D-dimer levels among patients with ICH compared with healthy controls (489.4 ± 1026 vs. 99.34 ± 55.09, p < 0.0001). This increase in plasma D-dimer levels strongly correlated with the severity of haemorrhage. Additionally, logistic regression analysis indicated that elevated plasma D-dimer levels were associated with poor clinical outcomes following ICH. Notably, plasma D-dimer levels within the HE subgroup significantly increased during the acute phase of ICH. Furthermore, both in-hospital mortality and the incidence of coma at discharge progressively increased with increasing D-dimer levels.

Elevated plasma D-dimer levels in patients with ICH significantly correlate with in-hospital mortality and the rate of coma at discharge. Notably, these levels markedly increase during the acute phase of the ICH with HE subgroup. These significant findings underscore the pivotal role of D-dimer as a biomarker in secondary brain injury following ICH and offer a novel predictive indicator for clinical outcomes associated with this condition.

This study explores the correlation between serum cholesterol, interleukin-10 (IL-10), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and post-intracerebral hemorrhage (post-ICH) depression in patients with acute ICH.

35 patients with acute primary supratentorial ICH were recruited. Serum cholesterol, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), IL-10, and MIF were measured in the first morning after admission. Additionally, a 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24) was used to detect depressive symptoms one week after admission. HAMD scores ≥ 8 indicated a diagnosis of post-ICH depression.

The levels of TC were significantly lower in ICH patients with depression compared to those without [169.26(139.23–215.67) mg/dL vs. 200.46(182.81–224.74) mg/dL, P = 0.010]. Similarly, levels of LDLC [102.18(78.39–137.28) mg/dL vs. 135.14(120.22–170.63) mg/dL, P = 0.001] and IL-10 [17.56(16.03–22.52) pg/mL vs. 31.17(23.42–37.53) pg/mL, P = 0.001] were also lower in patients with post-ICH depression. Furthermore, the levels of TC (r = -0.433, P = 0.009), TG (r = -0.345, P = 0.043), LDLC (r = -0.549, P = 0.001), and IL-10 levels (r = -0.603, P < 0.001) showed negative correlations with the HAMD scores. Logistic regression analysis indicated that higher IL-10 levels (OR = 0.847, 95 % CI = 0.717–0.999, P = 0.049) were indicative of protection against post-ICH depression in the acute phase.

Lower levels of TC, LDLC, and IL-10 were associated with post-ICH depression during the acute phase. Furthermore, decreased levels of IL-10 may serve as a promising predictor for post-ICH depression.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe stroke that can adversely affect patient outcomes due to the accompanying inflammatory response. As a result, there is a growing interest in studying inflammation in ICH. We systematically reviewed relevant articles using the Web of Science to understand the literature on this subject. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the field through bibliometric analysis, highlight its current status, identify frontiers, and speculate on future directions.

We conducted a bibliometric analysis of the global English literature on inflammation related to ICH research based on the Web of Science from 1993 to the present to address publication trends and research hotspots.

A total of 885 publications were included from 1993 to 2023. These articles were authored by 7375 researchers from 1639 organizations in 68 countries and published in 571 journals. Collectively, they cited 48,980 references from 5621 journals. The author who published the most articles was Dr. Zhang, John H. Interestingly, 6 of the top ten most published authors were from China. Regarding the countries that published the most articles, China was at the top of the list, followed by the United States. The most frequently used keywords were “Inflammation”, “Neuroinflammation”, and “Microglia”. Regarding journal publication and reference citations, Stroke was the most published and cited journal.

Over the past 30 years, there has been considerable progress in scientific research concerning inflammation in the context of ICH. The pivotal themes of these studies have been immune cells and inflammatory mediators. It is worth noting, however, that most of the published literature on inflammation in ICH pertains to preclinical studies, with comparatively fewer clinical investigations. Several challenges must be addressed to translate these promising research achievements into clinical practice.