SERUM CORTISOL LEVELS IN ASSESSING SEVERITY OF ACUTE STROKE – A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN CHENGALPET MEDICAL COLLEGE & HOSPITAL
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Keywords
Serum Cortisol Levels, Severity of Acute Stroke
Abstract
Background: In this study we wanted to determine whether the severity of an acute stroke could be correlated with a single measurement of blood cortisol.
Methods: After receiving approval from the institutional ethics committee and signed informed consent from the study participants, a cross-sectional study was carried out on 120 acute stroke patients who presented from Chengalpattu Government Hospital's medical wards and intensive care unit within 24 hours of the stroke beginning. All patient clinical data was concealed from the analysing laboratories. The independent sample t-test was used to calculate the parameter mean values. By using the Chi-Square test, the relationship between blood cortisol levels and stroke scores was evaluated. SPSS, a software programme used for statistical analysis, is used for all statistical analyses. It was determined that a p-value of less than 0.05 was statistically significant.
Results: 50% of the group are male and 50% are female, with an average age range of 50 to 59. The cortisol level was 637 nmol/L on average. Acute ischemic stroke affected 98 out of the 120 patients, while acute hemorrhagic stroke affected 22. The average time was 9.5 hours, and the average SSS score was 20.85. The SSS and serum cortisol correlation coefficient was -0.984, showing a significant link. High serum cortisol levels were associated with lower SSS scores, and the p-value was < 0.001, indicating statistical significance.
Conclusion: Elevations in blood cortisol levels are associated with acute stroke severity. One potential indicator of the severity of a stroke is serum cortisol.
References
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Dr. K. Ilanchetchenni
Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, Chengalpattu Medical College, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dr. J. Chandru
Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, Chengalpattu Medical College, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dr. S. Senthil Kumar
Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, Chengalpattu Medical College, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dr. G. Nishanthi
Senior Resident, Department of General Medicine, Chengalpattu Medical College, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India.