C-reactive protein levels in the first three hours after acute cerebral infarction.
BACKGROUND
Although thought to be involved in the precipitation of the acute ischemic stroke, C-reactive protein (CRP) was scarcely investigated in the first few hours of a cerebral infarction.


METHODS
CRP was measured in a consecutive series of patients within the first 3 h of the onset of a first-ever acute cerebral infarction, and in control inpatients, matched for sex and age (±2 years).


RESULTS
Three hundred eighty-seven stroke patients and 387 controls were enrolled. There were 215 men and 172 women in each group. Mean age was 66 years for both. CRP was significantly higher in stroke patients (median 5.0 mg/L, interquartile range [IQR] 2.0-10.0) than controls (median 1.9 mg/L, IQR 0.7-3.9), p < .0001. CRP remained a variable independently associated with stroke in the multiple logistic regression model.


CONCLUSIONS
CRP appears to be significantly increased already in the first 3 h because of the acute ischemic stroke.
Policlinico San Marco, Neurology, Osio Sotto, Bergamo, Italy. tfield@med.miami.edu
Massimo
M
Camerlingo
Laura
L
Valente
Marcello
M
Tognozzi
Gian Luca
GL
Beretta
Luca
L
Moschini
Bruno Mario
BM
Cesana
D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D002097:C-Reactive Protein