Thyroid dysfunction in patients of hemorrhagic stroke

Introduction: Alteration in the thyroid profile has been associated with occurrence of stroke. A lot of work is being done all over the world in order to establish a link between the two events. Materials and Methods: In the present study the variation in the thyroid profile of the patients presenting within 48 hrs of an acute hemorrhagic stroke were studied. Results: Of the 185 patients included in the study, 124 had nonthyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS), 35 were euthyroid, 15 were hyperthyroid, eight had subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), and three had hypothyroidism. A low free triiodothyronine (FT3) level was associated with unfavorable outcome as accessed by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and the Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) scoring. Conclusion: In the present study involving patients of acute hemorrhagic stroke, high mortality rates were observed in patients with a low FT3 and free thyroxine (FT4).