# Serum Adiponectin Levels Increase in Acute Ischemic Stroke and Correlate with Patients’ Outcomes: A Pilot Study

## TL;DR

This study suggests that adiponectin levels in the blood can help identify and predict outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients, especially those without clear CT scan signs.

## Contribution

The study identifies adiponectin as a potential biomarker for diagnosing and predicting outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients.

## Key findings

- Adiponectin levels were significantly higher in acute ischemic stroke patients compared to controls.
- Higher adiponectin levels at 24 hours correlated with worse clinical outcomes and mortality.
- Adiponectin levels showed high accuracy in identifying stroke cases.

## Abstract

Stroke is a leading cause of death and severe disability worldwide. Rapid diagnosis is critical to ensure the timely administration of medical treatment. Given that in some cases CT scans fail to show the classic clinical signs of stroke, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic capacity of adiponectin levels and their association with the clinical parameters of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Adiponectin was measured within 24 h (T1) and 48 h (T2) of AIS onset in 70 patients. A total of 68 control cases were included in the study. Adiponectin levels were significantly higher in the AIS patients than in the controls (16.64 (3.79; 16.69) vs. 3.78 (3.79; 16.69); p < 0.001), with an accuracy of 0.98 (AUC = 0.99). Lower levels were seen in males and in AIS patients with obesity. Higher levels of adiponectin at T1 were associated with a moderate/severe NIHSS score at patient discharge. Moreover, higher levels of borderline significance were seen in patients who died within 12 months of their AIS episode (p = 0.054). Adiponectin may be a useful biomarker for the identification of AIS patients who do not present classic CT signs and could be used to stratify severe cases. Further studies are needed to validate these results.