An analysis of the relationship between hyperglycemia and the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores in ischemic stroke patients

The purpose of this study was to determine if non-diabetic ischemic stroke patients with elevated blood sugars during the first 24 hours after onset of stroke symptoms admitted to a neuroscience unit have higher NIHSS scores on admission and discharge than patients with normal blood sugars. Statistical significance p=0.049 was found indicating that patients admitted within 24 hours of onset of an ischemic stroke without diabetes that were hyperglycemic had a higher NIHSS score on admission than those that had a normal blood sugar. This study did not support the need for continued monitoring of blood glucose levels in the absence of initial hyperglycemia. No statistical significance was found between maximum blood sugars and discharge NIHSS scores. The results of this study support the importance of monitoring initial blood glucose of an ischemic stroke patient and support the need for additional research in this area.