Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a poorly understood disorder, very common even after total hip arthroplasty (THA). It is widely considered that inflammation response play a role in the pathogenesis of POCD.
Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether inflammation cytokine concentrations could serve as biomarkers for POCD in patients undergoing THA.
Methods: A systematic search of databases was conducted to retrieve publications measuring circulating inflammatory markers of patients with and without POCD after THA. Inflammatory markers identified in more than two studies were pooled. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated for each outcome. Fail-safe N statistics was calculated to estimate possible publication bias.
Results: The pooled incidence rate of POCD after THA by combining 11 cohort studies was 31%. A total of five inflammatory markers, CRP, S-100B, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, were assessed. Significantly higher pre-operative CRP (P = 0.012) and S-100B (P < 0.0001) as well as post-operative CPR (P = 0.005) and IL-6 (P < 0.0001) at 6 h were found in POCD compared with non-POCD patients undergoing THA. Fail-safe N statistics revealed that these results are robust.
Discussion: The current evidence suggests that some of the inflammatory markers, including CRP, S-100B, and IL-6, were correlated with the occurrence of POCD after THA.
Conclusion: Monitor of inflammatory markers might help early diagnosis of POCD after THA and development of preventive strategies.
Keywords: Biomarker; Cognitive dysfunction; Cytokine; Inflammation; Total hip arthroplasty.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.