Conclusions
Serum level of TTR at admission was a predictor of functional outcome after ischemic stroke and was also associated with one-year mortality in stroke survivals.
Methods
We conducted a prospective observational study. Patients (n = 81) with acute (< 24 hours of symptoms onset) ischemic stroke consecutively admitted to Stroke Unit were included. An unfavorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥ 3. The relationships between serum TTR levels and clinical outcome were analyzed using multivariate analysis. One-year mortality was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves stratified by mean value of TTR.
Results
Compared with patients with mRS <3, patients with an unfavorable outcome at hospital discharge had significantly lower TTR levels on admission (P < 0.0001). In non-survivals serum TTR levels were significantly lower compared with patients who survive one year of observation (P = 0.009). Using multivariate analysis, transthyretin emerged as an independent predictor for unfavorable outcome at the day of hospital discharge (adjusted odds ratio = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.9-0.99, P <0.05). A one-year mortality of patients with the lower TTR levels was significantly higher than in patients with TTR levels above mean value (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Serum level of TTR at admission was a predictor of functional outcome after ischemic stroke and was also associated with one-year mortality in stroke survivals.