title: Risk factors for developing pneumonia in patients with diabetes mellitus following acute ischaemic stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate markers of infection and identify risk factors for the development of pneumonia following acute ischaemic stroke in patients with diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with diabetes mellitus (n = 106) who were hospitalized after acute ischaemic stroke with  (n = 32) or without (n = 74) pneumonia at admission were included in the study. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), white blood cell (WBC) count, mean body temperature and severity of stroke on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale were measured  at the time of admission. The degree of disability according to the modified Rankin Scale was assessed after 30 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Raised levels of IL-6 and CRP, older age, more severe stroke, longer duration of hospitalization and dysphagia were significantly associated with the development of  pneumonia. Patients with pneumonia had significantly worse outcomes compared with nonpneumonia patients after 1 month. Raised WBC count and mean body temperature were not significant predictors of pneumonia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Markers of infection, more severe ischaemic stroke, dysphagia and older  age may help in predicting the occurrence of pneumonia at stroke onset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gansu Province People's Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China. zhangxudonglan@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ge
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C508600:IL6 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein