Body temperature, blood infection parameters, and outcome of thrombolysis-treated ischemic stroke patients

Body temperature, inflammation, and infections may modify response to thrombolytic therapy. We studied their associations with clinical improvement after intravenous thrombolysis and three-month outcome.

We included 985 consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis at the Helsinki University Central Hospital during 1995–2008. Body temperature, blood leukocyte count, and C-reactive protein levels were analyzed on arrival and at day one. Clinical improvement was defined as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score decrease of ≥4 points or a score of 0 at 24 h. Functional outcome was assessed at three-months with the modified Rankin Scale dichotomized at 0–2 (good) vs. 3–6 (poor). Associations were tested with multivariable logistic regression analysis. Read more