title: The prognostic value of tissue factor levels in acute ischaemic stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is no biological marker that can accurately predict the prognosis after an acute ischaemic stroke. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of tissue factor (thromboplastin) levels in first ischaemic stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective study of all patients with first ischaemic stroke conducted from October 2003 to February 2004. Plasma for tissue factor levels was kept at -80 degrees Celsius and was analysed at the end of the study period by an independent person. The activities of daily living (ADL) were assessed by using the Barthel index (BI) on admission and at one month after the stroke onset. Any death or recurrent events were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  50 patients were recruited into the study. The median tissue factor level was 184.5 +/- 97.3 pg/ml. Only age (p-value is 0.027) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarcts (p-value is 0.038) were found to be significant independent predictors for severe disability at one month with BI equal to or less than 9. There was no correlation of tissue factor level with BI at one month post-stroke (r equals -0.028, p-value is 0.846) and there was also no significant relationship between levels of tissue factor and recurrent events (p-value is 0.41).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no correlation between tissue factor levels with acute ischaemic stroke outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. halimgafor@gmail.com
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Halim
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Hamidon
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Cheong
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Raymond
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013925:Thromboplastin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D013925:Thromboplastin