Association of the C-reactive protein/albumin ratio with the prognosis of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A systematic review

Abstract

The C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio (CAR) is being studied as a potential predictor of severe outcomes in various diseases. Our study aimed to review current evidence on the prognostic value of CAR in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to April 2023 and assessed the risk of bias using the NewCastle-Ottawa tool. A narrative synthesis was performed, and the GRADE system was used to evaluate the certainty of the evidence. Out of 534 articles, 4 were selected. We found that a higher CAR level is moderately associated with a lower score on the Glasgow Outcome Scale at 3 months and a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality. However, no significant association was found with the modified Rankin scale or delayed cerebral ischemia. Although the evidence is limited, CAR could be a useful tool for predicting poor prognosis in aSAH patients, but more prospective studies are needed to determine optimal cut-off points and include CAR in long-term prognostic models.