[Ischemic stroke as reaction to an acute stressful event]

The period following ischemic stroke can be considered as a reaction to a stressful event. Changes in cortisol secretion are one of the indicators of stress reaction. The aim of the study was to determine morning serum levels of cortisol in stroke patients within 48 hours and 15 days of ischemic stroke onset. Study group included 40 patients, 20 of them were females, mean age 65.3 +/- 10.3 years. The patients did not receive any corticosteroid agents or spironolactone, and did not suffer from Cushing's or Addison's syndrome. Ischemic stroke was verified by computed tomography of the brain. The fluorometric method with DELFIA Cortisol immunoassay was used to determine morning serum cortisol levels. Reference values of the measured hormone were 201-681 nmol/l. The mean level of serum cortisol within 48 hours of stroke was 560.9 +/- 318.9 nmol/l, and on day 15 it was 426.2 +/- 159.3 nmol/l, i.e. significantly lower (p < 0.02). On the first measurement, the level of serum cortisol was elevated in 32%, and on the second measurement in only 7.5% patients, which was also significantly lower (p < 0.001). It was concluded that the stress reaction in ischemic stroke patients was more pronounced within the first 48 hours of stroke onset. Judging from the morning cortisol levels, the reaction to stress was considerably less pronounced 15 days after stroke onset.