title: Interleukin-6, a reliable prognostic factor for ischemic stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is one of the inflammatory mediators characterized by elevated levels in ischemic stroke (IS) patients. The present study set out to assess the role of IL-6, as a marker for inflammation, in the severity and prognosis of acute IS.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional descriptive study, 45 patients with acute IS were selected. Patients with their first day of stroke were included in the study. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) for stroke severity were evaluated on Days 1, 5, 90, and 365. Serum IL-6 level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on days 1 and 5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the present study, 45 patients with a mean age of 77.6 ± 4.9 including 32 (71%) men and 13 (28.9%) women were studied. Death occurred in 2 (4.4%) patients before discharge from the hospital; the others, be that as it may, followed the study until Day 365 with a mortality rate of 6 (13.3%). A positive significant correlation was found between IL-6, and NIHSS and mRS of the patients from the time of admission to the end of the follow-up period (P < 0.001, r = 0.6). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between IL-6 and infarction size in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan (P < 0.001, r = 0.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evidence from the present study suggests that IL-6 contributes to determination of severity of ischemic stroke. In addition, IL-6 concentrations affect clinical outcomes in ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Sheyda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaafi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sharifipour
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Rouhollah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rahmanifar
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
authors.forename: SeyedShamseddin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hejazi
authors.affiliation: Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Sasan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andalib
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikanfar
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baradarn
authors.affiliation: Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Robab
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mehdizadeh
keywords: Inflammatory Factors; Interleukin-6; Ischemic Stroke; Stroke Outcome; Stroke Severity