Objectives: This study was conducted to determine serum levels of nitrite and nitrate in patients with cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and to assess whether there are correlations between serum NO end-product levels with some clinical and laboratory parameters.
Material and Methods: Thirty-four patients with ischaemic CVA, thirty seven patients with hemorrhagic CVA admitted to the Emergency Department and Outpatient Clinic of Neurology of Turgut Ozal Medical Center together with thirty heathy age and sex matched volunteers were included into this study. Routine blood analyses and cerebral CT scans were taken on admission and after medical treatment. In addition, demographic parameters (age and gender) type of CVA (ischaemic or hemorrhagic), affected side of the body (right or left), severity of CVA (hemiparesis or hemiplegia), and the localization of the pathologic lesion in the CT scan were recorded. Six patents with hemorrhagic CVA who died during the study period were excluded from the analysis.
Results: Statistical values were calculated as mean"standard error. There were no statistical significant differences in serum nitrite concentrations (10.9±0.4 —mol/L vs. 12.0"0.4 —mol/L, 10.3"0.3 —mol/L vs. 11.2±0.5 —mol/L, p>0.05) between the admission level and that after medical treatment in ischaemic and hemorrhagic patients. Similarly there were no statistically significant deferences in serum nitrate concentration (24.4±3.3 —mol/L vs. 23.1±2.1 —mol/L, 36.1±6.1 —mol/L vs. 29.1"3.4 —mol/L, p>0.05) between ischaemic and hemorrhagic CVA patients. But, serum nitrite (1.7±0.1 —mol/L) and nitrate (18.4"0.9 —mol/L) levels in healthy volunteers were significantly lower than both of the patient groups (p0.05), there was a positive correlation between the CVA severity and serum nitrite levels at the admission (r-0.384) and that after medical treatment (r-0.514) in patients with ischaemic type of CVA (p
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