ESOC 2022 | Biomarkers of cardiac thrombogenicity to distinguish cardioembolic and atherothrombotic stroke risk

Thrombogenicity can be categorized into cardiac, vascular, or systemic origin. Magnus Bäck, MD, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, talks on efforts to identify biomarkers able to distinguish cardiac thrombogenicity from vascular thrombogenicity, which may enable the prediction of individual ischemic stroke subtypes. ECG measures of left atrial mechanics, such as left atrial strain, may act as a modifiable marker of cardiac thrombogenicity. Observational studies have shown lower levels of left atrial strain in cardioembolic stroke, compared to other causes. Inflammatory biomarkers may also be able to distinguish between sources of thrombogenicity. Classical markers, such as CRP and IL-6, have not been shown to differ between cardiac and vascular origins, but neutrophil extracellular traps and circulating immunothrombosis biomarkers, citH3 and cell-free DNA, have been shown to differ between cardioembolic and atherothrombotic stroke. This interview took place at the ESOC 2022 congress in Lyon, France.