DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i03.082

Pages: 1443-1446

In spite of the pivotal role of TNF-α in the pathogenesis and clinical outcomes of cerebral ischemia, this cytokine was never investigated before as an indicator of stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of TNF-α as screening test for ischemic stroke. The study enrolled 35 patients with stroke and 81 apparently healthy volunteers. Following clinical examination, blood samples were collected from each volunteer and used for estimation of concentration of TNF-α, random blood glucose (RBG), and lipid profile. TNF-α level ≥ 0.135 pg/ml was consider as significantly high concentration. Chi-square test and conditional ratios were used to assess association between higher levels of TNF-α and stroke. Higher TNF-α levels were associated with higher risk of stroke (Odds Ratio (OR) = 6.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.671 - 15.2), sensitivity = 62.86%, specificity = 79.01%, positive predictive value (PPV) = 56.41%, negative predictive value (NPP) = 83.12 %, false positive rate (FPR) = 20.99%, false negative rate (FNR) = 37.14% and accuracy = 74.14%.TNF-α achieved significantly higher levels in patients suffering from recent stroke compared to apparently healthy subject. However, our results fail to demonstrate TNF-α as a reliable screening test for recent stroke.