Nitric oxide level and adenosine deaminase activity in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
OBJECTIVE
Adenosine and nitric oxide (NO) are known as vasodilatators. We investigated adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity and NO concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).


METHODS
Forty patients with SAH and 10 controls were included in the study. Nitrate level and ADA activity were measured in CSF. SAH patients were grouped according to the presence of angiographic vasospasm, Hunt and Hess grading, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Fisher Grade (FG).


RESULTS
The level of NO markers in SAH patients decreased when compared to that in the control group (p < 0.05). However, NO markers in patients with vasospasm was higher than in that of patients without vasospasm (p < 0.05). ADA activity increased in patients with SAH (p < 0.01) and also patients with angiographic vasospasm (p < 0.05). ADA activity in the poor-grade SAH group was higher than that in the good-grade SAH group. The group with the lower GCS showed increased ADA activity compared to those with a higher GCS score (p < 0.01). Furthermore, patients with FG 4 had a higher level of ADA activity compared to FG 1 and 2 and FG 3 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Decreased NO level may participate in the early development of vasospasm. However, the increased level of ADA activity in the SAH patients with the poor clinical and consciousness level may have resulted from the ischemic cerebral insult.
Durmaz
Ramazan
R
Deparment of Neurosurgery, Eskişehir Osmangazi University School of Medicine, Eskişehir, Turkey. rdurmaz@ogu.edu.tr
Ozkara
Emre
E
Kanbak
Güngör
G
Arslan
Okan Can
OC
Dokumacioğlu
Ali
A
Kartkaya
Kazim
K
Atasoy
Metin Ant
MA
D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology*; D020301:Vasospasm, Intracranial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology
D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase