title: Elevated body temperature in ischemic stroke associated with neurological improvement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Some studies suggest that high body temperature within the first few hours of ischemic stroke onset is associated with improved outcome. We hypothesized an association between high body temperature on admission and detectable improvement within 6-9 hours of stroke onset.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive ischemic stroke patients with NIHSS scores obtained within 3 hours and in the interval 6-9 hours after stroke onset were included. Body temperature was measured on admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 315 patients with ischemic stroke were included. Median NIHSS score on admission was 6. Linear regression showed that NIHSS score 6-9 hours after stroke onset was inversely associated with body temperature on admission after adjusting for confounders including NIHSS score <3 hours after stroke onset (P<.001). The same result was found in patients with proximal middle cerebral occlusion on admission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found an inverse association between admission body temperature and neurological improvement within few hours after admission. This finding may be limited to patients with documented proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion on admission and suggests a beneficial effect of higher body temperature on clot lysis within the first three hours.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: A N
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6371-628X
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Khanevski
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|Centre of Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.|Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Naess
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thomassen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Waje-Andreassen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nacu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.|Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Kvistad
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: 
  NIHSS
  ; acute ischemic stroke; body temperature; early neurological improvement