Dynamic changes of leukocytes and prognoses of patients with right and left middle cerebral artery infarction: a comparative study

Abstract

Objective To explore the effects of right and left middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction on immune system of these patients.Method A total of 99 acute MCA infarction patients,admitted to our hospital from January 2006 to February 2013,were enrolled in this retrospective study.Based on the artery involved,these patients were divided into left MCA infarction group (n=51) and right MCA infarction group (n=48).Such data,including dynamic changes of leukocytes (white blood cell count and ratio of each kind of white blood cells) on the 1st,3rd and 7th d of onset,pulmonary infection rate within 1 week of onset and NIHSS and improved Rankin scale scores assessed 1 month after onset/at discharge,were comparatively analyzed between these two groups.Results No significant differences on pulmonary infection rate,temperature within one week of onset,and NIHSS and improved Rankin scale scores assessed 1 month after onset were noted between the two groups (P＞0.05).No statistic difference was found when comparing the different type ofleukocytes on the 1st,3rd and 7th d after stroke and the dynamic changes of leukocytes in the 1st week between the two groups (P＞0.05).But the dynamic changes of neutrophils and lymphocytes in patients without pneumonia were different between the two groups.Conclusion MCA infarction patients have different variation tendency of leukocyte between the left and right side,which may indicate that the mechanism of post-stroke immunodepression is different when affect different MCA. Key words: Middle cerebral artery infarction; Cerebral infarction; Immunodepression; Leukocyte; Left side; Right side