Leukocyte response in patients suffering from acute stroke.

The oxidation of adrenaline to adrenochrome has been shown to reflect the activation of leukocytes in vivo. We tested the in vivo activation of leukocytes by measuring plasma oxidation of adrenaline to adrenochrome in patients suffering from cerebral ischemia, cerebral hemorrhage, and transient ischemic attacks and in healthy subjects. Patients with cerebral ischemia and cerebral hemorrhage had significantly higher values than healthy subjects, while patients with transient ischemic attacks had values similar to those of healthy subjects. In some patients with cerebral ischemia, the test was repeated 4 and 15 days after the acute event, but the follow-up data did not differ from baseline values. Our study shows that leukocyte activation occurs in cerebral ischemia and cerebral hemorrhage.