Diagnostic and Prognostic Value Analysis of miR-206 in Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis

Introduction: To investigate the expression level of miR-206 in serum of patients with asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and estimate the value of miR-206 in the diagnosis and prognosis of asymptomatic CAS. Methods: A total of 206 individuals enrolled in this study, including 105 CAS patients and 101 controls. RT-qPCR technology was applied to measure the relative level of miR-206, and Pearson's correlation coefficient was performed to analyze the relationship between carotid artery stenosis degree and miR-206 level. An ROC curve was drawn to assess the diagnostic value of miR-206 in asymptomatic CAS. The 5-year prognosis of asymptomatic CAS patients was tested using multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Results: MiR-206 expression was reduced in asymptomatic CAS patients. The AUC of the ROC curve of miR-206 was 0.939, with a sensitivity of 86.70% and a specificity of 86.14%. The amount of CAS gradually increased with the decrease of miR-206 level. Seven-teen patients in the low miR-206 expression group developed CIEs, and 3 patients in the high miR-206 expression group developed CIEs during the 5-year follow-up. miR-206 and the amount of CAS were independent factors for the occurrence of CIEs within 5 years in asymptomatic CAS patients. Conclusion: Serum miR-206 has high diagnostic accuracy for asymptomatic CAS and has predictive value for the incidence of CIEs in patients within 5 years.