Role of Serum Ferritin and Prediction of Neurological Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Background: Stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is an abrupt onset of neurological deficiency caused by a specific vascular aetiology. Aim: This study aimed to assess the role of serum ferritin in acute ischaemic stroke patients to correlate serum ferritin and neurological scales on the day of admission and during follow-up and to predict neurological outcomes. Methods: This prospective observational study included 100 patients who presented with acute ischaemic stroke clinically and with radiological imaging in the General Medicine and Neurology departments of Saveetha Medical College and Hospital for 18 months. Functional disability was assessed for all patients after 3 months based on the correlation of serum ferritin levels with the neurological scales, and the outcome was estimated. Results: The mean age of the patients was 59.45 ± 14.39. The serum ferritin level and Canadian Stroke Scale score during admission on day 7th and day 30th, were significantly different (p < 0.01). Serum ferritin levels were positively associated with the Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission and on the 7th and 30th days after admission. Ferritin levels were significantly higher in the moderate category under all circumstances (p < 0.01). Patients with mRS scores of 2, 3, and 4 were compared with serum ferritin levels and found to be significantly associated with serum ferritin levels. Conclusion: This study found that patients with higher serum ferritin levels experienced increased stroke severity and lower GCS and mRS scores, which correlated with increased morbidity.