Homocysteine, interleukin-1β, and fasting blood glucose levels as prognostic markers for diabetes mellitus complicated with cerebral infarction and correlated with carotid intima-media thickness

Diabetes mellitus complicated with cerebral infarction (DMCI) has a high incidence and disability rate. Therefore, identification of biomarkers for the early prediction of the development and progression of cerebral infarction (CI) is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of this disease. The roles of serum homocysteine (Hey), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in DMCI and their correlations with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were explored. A total of 124 patients with DMCI (DMCI group) and 103 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) (DM group) admitted to the People's Hospital of Liuhe District of Nanjing were enrolled in this study. A further 100 healthy controls undergoing physical examinations during the same period (HC group) were also enrolled. CIMT value was detected by carotid artery ultrasound. Hey and FBG levels were determined by a fully automatic biochemical analyzer. The IL-1β level was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of Hey, IL-1β, and FBG and the CIMT value in the DMCI and DM groups were significantly higher than those in the HC group (P