The pathophysiology and consequences of early brain injury (EBI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remain incompletely understood. This study aims to investigate the role of orosomucoid (ORM) in aSAH, its potential as a marker for assessing the extent of EBI-induced damage, and its correlation with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) and functional recovery over a 3-month period. We collected serum specimens 72 h post-aSAH to measure ORM levels. The study included 151 aSAH patients and 105 healthy subjects. The serum ORM levels within the patient cohort significantly exceeded those in the control group (p < 0.001). The ORM value showed significant correlation with the admission WFNS (p < 0.0001) and mFS scores (p < 0.05). Substantially elevated serum ORM levels at 72 h post-aSAH were detected among patients experiencing DCI, as well as those with poor functional outcomes after 3 months (p = 0.009 and p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that serum ORM at 72 h post-SAH was independently associated with DCI and 3-month functional outcome after adjusting for confounders. The early stage events of aSAH influence the level of ORM. ORM serves as a marker for assessing the extent of damage during EBI and is linked to the occurrence of DCI as well as unfavorable long-term functional outcomes.
Keywords: alpha-1-acid glycoprotein; aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage; delayed cerebral ischemia; orosomucoid; outcome.