Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in acute stroke - Biochemical markers

Abstract

Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction after stroke has great clinical importance because worse prognosis and may lead to sudden arrhythmic death. Increased sympathetic activity after a stroke may lead to abnormalities in ECG, cardiac arrhythmias and myocardial necrosis. Along with the manifestations of metabolic acidosis increased plasma levels of several biochemical markers- norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine; cardiac enzymes and markers: creatine kinase and creatine kinase -MV, troponin I and B-type natriuretic peptide. Elevated levels of catecholamines are most pronounced in patients with lesions in the territory of the right middle cerebral artery, and were significantly higher during the acute phase of stroke.