The role of haematological parameters and CRP for differentiation of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke

Introduction: Stroke is the third most common cause of death after cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Moreover, it's the number one cause of long-term morbidity in the world. Stroke is classified into 2 types as ischemic and hemorrhagic. In this study, we investigated whether CRP and complete blood count parameters, which are cheap, accessible and quick tests, had a role for early differentiation of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Material and Method: We performed a retrospective study by using archive records. Patients diagnosed with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke in Emergency Department of Abant Izzet Baysal University between November 5, 2015 and November 5, 2017 were included in the study. Demographic data, main symptoms and signs, computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging results of included patients were obtained. Platelet count, Mean Platelet Volume, Hemoglobin concentration, Mean Corpuscular Volume, White Blood Cell and C - reactive protein values of the patients were noted.Results: Of 100 patients entering the study, 68 (%68) had ischemic stroke. The remaining 32 (%32) patients were diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke. Among the 100 patients, 53 (53.0%) were female, 47 (47.0%) were male. The mean age was 75, 3585 ± 1.793 for women and 71, 0638 ± 1.944 for men. Mean Platelet Volume(p= 0.009) and White Blood Cell (p= 0.006) values were higher and statistically significant in the patients diagnosed with hemorrhagic stroke compared to the patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups for the other parameters. Conclusion: In conclusion, Mean Platelet Volume and White Blood Cell values seemed to be higher in hemorrhagic stroke compared to ischemic stroke. However, we suggest that further studies must be performed with more patients and parameters. Key words: Ischemic strokes, hemorrhagic stroke, mean platelet volume, white blood cell, early differentiation of stroke