A Severity Score and Outcome Prediction in Patients that Suffered an Ischemic Stroke

Corina Roman-Filip; Maria-Gabriela Catană Vlădoiu; Mădălina Văleanu; Romeo-Gabriel Mihăilă

doi:10.1155/2023/5931502

A Severity Score and Outcome Prediction in Patients that Suffered an Ischemic Stroke

Emerg Med Int. 2023 May 22:2023:5931502. doi: 10.1155/2023/5931502. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Corina Roman-Filip^{1

2}, Maria-Gabriela Catană Vlădoiu^{1

2}, Mădălina Văleanu³, Romeo-Gabriel Mihăilă^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Neurology Department, Emergency County Clinical Hospital Sibiu, Corneliu Coposu bvd, Sibiu 550245, Romania.
² Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Izvorului Street, Sibiu 550169, Romania.
³ Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Haţieganu" Cluj-Napoca, 7 Horea Street, Cluj-Napoca 400174, Romania.
⁴ Hematology Department, Emergency County Clinical Hospital Sibiu, Sibiu Corneliu Coposu bvd, 550245 Sibiu, Romania.

Abstract

Background: Stroke is the main cause of disability and exitus worldwide. The prediction of mortality of this pathology represents a major challenge. More than that, the infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a challenge for every clinician worldwide, and hypercoagulability is one of its biggest concerns that can lead to stroke.

Objective: Our aim was to develop a severity stroke index for both SARS-CoV-2 stroke patients and noninfected stroke patients which we hope to be helpful in patient's management.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study during January 2021-June 2021 which included 80 patients who suffered an ischemic stroke, 40 of which had both stroke and SARS-CoV-2 infection. We have established a panel of biomarkers including CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen, ESR, D-dimer, leucocytes, lymphocytes, and NLR and compared the results of our two cohorts.

Results: SARS-CoV-2 stroke patients have experienced elevated levels of biomarkers that rise in inflammation such as hs-CRP, IL-6, and D-dimer, comparing to noninfected stroke patients. Also, the probability of exitus in SARS-CoV-2 patients is 4.2 times higher than in noninfected subjects. With regard to stroke severity, we have concluded that a NIHSS score higher than 15 points considerably influences the death rate, the probability of exitus being 9.16 times higher than in NIHSS score lower than 15.

Conclusion: Based on our result, we have established a severity score index which includes NIHSS score, age, gender, the presence/absence of COVID-19 infection, and the following biomarkers: hs-PCR, IL-6, D-dimer, fibrinogen, and ESR, which can be used as a tool to guide patient's management.