Prognostic significance of Ischemia Modified Albumin and role of high sensitive Creactive protein levels in acute ischemic stroke patients

Introduction: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is one of the leading cause of death worldwide and the main causes of long-term disability. Brain CT shows no abnormality in the early event of AIS and the infarct may not be seen reliably for 24-48 hours. Oxidative stress is proposed as a fundamental mechanism of brain damage in ischemic stroke. Earlier it was reported that free radicals alters the N-terminus of the albumin which decreases its binding capacity for metals and is termed as Ischemia Modified Albumin (IMA). Recently it was found that IMA is increased in cerebrovascular diseases and may serve as biomarker for early identification of acute stroke. There is little information regarding the use of IMA for the prognosis of AIS. There is growing evidence of the importance of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in Acute Ischemic Stroke. Therefore, the current study aims to determine the prognostic evaluation of time course of serum level of IMA and hs-CRP in Acute ischemic Stroke patients. Material and Method: 56 AIS patients diagnosed (clinically/ radiologically) of either sex and >18 years of age were taken as cases. 56 age and sex matched healthy subjects were taken as controls. Serum IMA levels were estimated by spectrophotometric method and hs-CRP levels were estimated by Auto-analyzer. Results: There was a significant increase in IMA levels in AIS patients at the time of admission (488.82±24.84) and on 3rd day (397.17±32.44) when compared to control (324.27±36.45) group. It was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). There was a significant increase in Hs-CRP levels in AIS patients at the time of admission (9.55±1.63) than in control (0.95±0.40) group. It was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Estimation of serum IMA in AIS patients has both diagnostic and prognostic application. Routine hs-CRP measurement will be a useful tool for identifying AIS patients, in order to plan aggressive diagnostic protocols and prevention therapies. Diagnosis of AIS can be made very early then the available routine investigation & the cost of the test is less, can be used in Primary health care & remote places where CT & MRI are far from their reach. Keywords: Ischemia Modified Albumin(IMA), High Sensitive C Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), Acute ischemic stroke (AIS), Albumin Cobalt Binding test