Sensitivity of biomarker for early prediction of cerebral stroke

Objective: An accurate serum or salivary biomarker that could help in triage and early management of stroke would be extremely useful. The present study was designed for screening the salivary and serum cortisol levels, activities of CK-BB, LDH and lipid profile in patients with stroke or related diseases as biomarkers for non-invasive early prediction of stroke. Methods: Eighty male subjects, age range of 50 +/- 3 y were divided into four groups: Normal healthy, ischemic stroke, hypertension and type-2 diabetic. Results: Salivary and serum cortisol levels were significantly elevated (p<0.001 and p<0.01) in stroke patients higher than hypertensive and diabetic. The cut-off value for salivary cortisol is 45 nmol/l showing 92% sensitivity and 90% specificity for differentiation of ischemic stroke. Positive correlations were observed between salivary and serum cortisol (r=0.56), and CK-BB (r=0.63). A significant elevation of serum and salivary total cholesterol (p<0.001) and LDL-c (p<0.01) in stroke and hypertensive patients compared with control and diabetic groups. Conclusion: Salivary cortisol can be considered as more sensitive biomarker and used as a sensitive diagnostic or prognostic marker for cerebral stroke-related diseases.