An observational study on electrolyte disorders in the acute phase of ischemic stroke and their prognostic value

Data on electrolyte disorders in neurological conditions and in acute stroke are somewhat scanty and not easily compared. In our Stroke Unit we studied patients hospitalized within six hours of the onset of an acute ischemic stroke and recorded their demographic and clinical data. Blood test results were recorded before any pharmacological therapy. A total of 475 individuals (256 males, 219 females; age range: 14-96 years) treated over a period of 18 consecutive months, were selected. According to a multiple logistic regression analysis, the baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-1.44) and alterations in serum sodium (OR = 6.89; 95% CI = 1.94-24.40) were associated with higher odds of death. Based on an ordinal logistic regression analysis, the baseline NIHSS score (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.03-1.10) and baseline hypernatremia (OR = 9.69; 95% CI = 1.55-60.69) were related to early neurological worsening. Our work suggests an association between serum sodium alterations and mortality, and between high sodium levels and neurological clinical impairment, in the acute phase of an ischemic stroke. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.