Determination of the Predictive Value of Serum Bilirubin in Patients with Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review

Background: Serum bilirubin is considered as a natural antioxidant that may affect the prognosis of stroke. Objectives: This systematic review aimed at determining the predictive value of serum bilirubin levels in stroke. Methods: We systematically reviewed the literature published in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, and the Cochrane Library with no time limit until October 2018. The search strategy included a combination of Mesh and free keywords, such as Bilirubin, Stroke, Cerebral Ischemia, Brain Ischemia, and Brain Vascular Accident. Results: OF A total of 2013 studies, 13 studies were included in this systematic review. The results revealed that, based on the majority of studies, increased bilirubin leads to increased severity of ischemic stroke. Conclusions: This systematic review showed that there was an association between the increased serum level of bilirubin and increased severity of ischemic stroke.