Relationship between procalcitonin serum levels and functional outcome in stroke patients

To determine whether serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels at admission were associated with short-term functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in a cohort Chinese sample. We prospectively studied 378 patients with AIS who were admitted within 24 h after the onset of symptoms. PCT and NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) were measured at the time of admission. Short-term functional outcome was measured by modified Rankin scale (mRS) 90 days after admission. The results indicated that the serum PCT levels were significantly higher in AIS patients as compared to normal controls (P < 0.0001). In the 114 patients with an unfavorable functional outcome, serum PCT levels were higher compared with those in patients with a favorable outcome (2.40 (IQR, 1.10-3.69) ng/mL and 0.42 (IQR, 0.10-1.05) ng/mL, respectively, P < 0.001). PCT was an independent prognostic marker of functional outcome [odds ratio (OR) 3.45 (2.29-4.77), adjusted for the NIHSS and other possible confounders] in patients with ischemic stroke, added significant additional predictive value to the clinical NIHSS score. In receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the prognostic accuracy of PCT was higher compared to Hs-CRP and NIHSS score. PCT is an independent predictor of short-term functional outcome after ischemic stroke in Chinese sample even after correcting for possible confounding factors.