Serum Albumin as a Predictor of Functional Outcomes Following Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Abstract Objective: To investigate the association between serum albumin level and functional outcome following acute ischemic stroke. Method: We included 101 patients of acute ischemic stroke in the anterior circulation, functional outcome was measured with Barthel score on day 7 of stroke and 3 months following acute ischemic stroke and compared with baseline serum albumin level. Result: The relation between admission Serum albumin and Barthel score were measured using unpaired student ‘t’ test at 7 th day of onset and 3 rd month following the onset of acute ischemic stroke.  The mean SD of admission Serum Albumin among the patient with total/severe dependency(mean 4.26 S.D 0.41)  and patients with moderate or slight dependency(mean 4.57 with  S.D 0.36) in Barthel score  at 7th day of Stroke was not significantly different (p=0.098).  However at 3 rd month following the acute ischemic stroke, the mean SD of admission Serum Albumin among the patient with total/severe dependency (mean 4.02 S.D 0.52) was lower than patients with moderate or slight dependency (mean 4.32 with S.D 0.37) and it was statistically significant.  Thus suggesting, higher Serum Albumin Level is associated with better Functional recovery. Conclusion: Higher serum albumin level is associated with better functional outcome following acute ischemic stroke.