White blood cell count is an independent predictor of outcomes after acute ischaemic stroke

Background and purpose In patients with ischaemic stroke, elevated white blood cell count (WBC) has been associated with stroke severity on admission and poor functional outcome. However, previous studies did not control for confounding factors. We hypothesized that higher WBC is an independent pred...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of neurology 2014-02, Vol.21 (2), p.215-222
Main Authors: Furlan, J. C., Vergouwen, M. D. I., Fang, J., Silver, F. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Blood
Brain Ischemia - blood
Canada
Data processing
disability
Female
Humans
impairment
Leukocyte Count
Male
Medical treatment
Middle Aged
Mortality
Prognosis
Registries
Severity of Illness Index
Stroke
Stroke - blood
Treatment Outcome
white blood cell
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Summary:Background and purpose In patients with ischaemic stroke, elevated white blood cell count (WBC) has been associated with stroke severity on admission and poor functional outcome. However, previous studies did not control for confounding factors. We hypothesized that higher WBC is an independent predictor of stroke severity, greater degree of disability and 30‐day mortality after acute ischaemic stroke. Methods Data from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network on consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke admitted between July 2003 and March 2008 were used. Patients were divided into groups as follows: low WBC (0.1–4 × 10−9/l), normal WBC (4.1–10 × 10−9/l) and high WBC (10.1–40 × 10−9/l). Primary outcome measures were the frequency of moderate/severe strokes on admission (Canadian Neurological Scale ≤ 8), greater degree of disability at discharge (modified Rankin score 3–6) and 30‐day mortality. Regression analyses were performed adjusting for confounders. Results In total, 8829 patients were included. After adjustment for major potential confounders, every 1 × 10−9/l increase in WBC was associated with stroke severity on admission [odds ratio (OR) 1.09; 95%CI 1.07–1.10; P 
ISSN:1351-5101
1468-1331
DOI:10.1111/ene.12233