Persistent Poststroke Hyperglycemia Is Independently Associated With Infarct Expansion and Worse Clinical Outcome

Abstract

Background and Purpose— Hyperglycemia at the time of ischemic stroke is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Animal studies suggest that infarct expansion may be responsible. The influence of persisting hyperglycemia after stroke has not previously been examined. We measured the blood glucose profile after acute ischemic stroke and correlated it with infarct volume changes using T2- and diffusion-weighted MRI. Methods— We recruited 25 subjects within 24 hours of ischemic stroke symptoms. Continuous glucose monitoring was performed with a glucose monitoring device (CGMS), and 4-hour capillary glucose levels (BGL) were measured for 72 hours after admission. MRI and clinical assessments were performed at acute (median, 15 hours), subacute (median, 5 days), and outcome (median, 85 days) time points. Results— Mean CGMS glucose and mean BGL glucose correlated with infarct volume change between acute and subacute diffusion-weighted MRI (r≥0.60, P<0.01), acute and outcome MRI (r=0.56, P=0.01), outco...