Objective To investigate the expression of inflammatory factors in patients with cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack.Methods A total of 64 patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA group), 58 patients with cerebral infarction (CI group), and 50 healthy persons (NC group) were enrolled, and the expression of inflammatory factors was measured for all groups.Results There were significant differences between the CI group and the TIA group in matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9) (83.14±9.27 μg/L vs 29.17±4.54 μg/L, P=0.026), nuclear factor-kappa B (36.88%±6.27% vs 31.20%±5.97%, P=0.032), interleukin-33 (IL-33) (71.63±4.83 ng/ml vs 104.59±8.27 ng/ml, P=0.025), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (12.57±1.29 mg/L vs 6.23±1.04 mg/L, P=0.009). The logistic regression analysis showed that total cholesterol (TC), MMP-9, IL-33, and hs-CRP were independent risk factors for CI, and TC and hs-CRP were independent risk factors for TIA. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of MMP-9+IL-33+hs-CRP to predict CI was 0.859 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.751-0.911), which was significantly higher than that of MMP-9 (AUC=0.711, 95% CI 0.649-0.824, Z=9.267, P=0.000), IL-33 (AUC=0.698, 95% CI 0.659-0.855, Z=11.553, P=0.000), or hs-CRP (AUC=0.705, 95% CI 0.671-0.848, Z=10.234, P=0.000).Conclusions Patients with cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack have significant differences in the expression of inflammatory factors, and a combined measurement of MMP-9, IL-33, and hs-CRP has a high diagnostic value for CI.