Relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and early neurological deterioration in stroke patients with and without atrial fibrillation

•A prospectively study contained 655 acute ischemic stroke patients were conducted to analyze the association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with early neurological deterioration (END).•The association of baseline hsCRP levels with END was analyzed in acute ischemic stroke with and without AF respectively.•High hsCRP level was independently correlated with END in patients with AF-S, not in Non-AF-S, which to some degree suggested that hsCRP might be a target for intervention during the acute phase of ischemic stroke.•The development of specific human hsCRP inhibitors might further help elaborate the precise mechanisms underlying END.