Elevated levels of anti-heat shock protein antibodies in patients with cerebral ischemia

One of the important mechanisms involved in the development of vascular les ions leading to ischemic stroke could be an immune response to heat shock p roteins (hsp). For carotid atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, an as sociation with an increase in anti-hsp 65 antibodies has been demonstrated. The aim of our study was (1) to investigate whether ischemic stroke is ass ociated with a humoral immune response to hsp; (2) to study the connection between anti-hsp antibodies and other stroke risk factors; (3) to estimate if the elevated levels of anti-hsp antibodies could be an independent risk factor for stroke. We examined 180 patients (in the first 48 h after stroke onset) and 64 age-matched healthy controls. The levels of IgG and IgM anti bodies to hsp 65 and 70 were measured by ELISA. Ischemic stroke was connect ed with a significant elevation of anti-hsp 65 and anti-hsp 70 antibody lev els (IgG and IgM) compared with controls (p < 0.0001). The multifactorial l ogistic regression analysis showed that increased levels of anti-hsp 65 and anti-hsp 70 IgG antibodies are independent risk factors for stroke. Our re sults suggest that humoral immunity to hsp is common in stroke patients and that elevated levels of anti-hsp antibodies could be triggering factors fo r stroke. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.