Influence of admission body temperature on stroke mortality.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The influence of body temperature on stroke outcome remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic role of admission body temperature on short-term and long-term mortality in a retrospective cohort study of patients with acute stroke. METHODS A retrospective cohort of 509 patients with acute stroke, admitted to a tertiary hospital between July 1, 1995, and June 30, 1997, was studied. The relationship between admission body temperature and mortality both in-hospital and at 1-year mortality was evaluated. Body temperature on admission was classified as hypothermia (36.5 degrees C and 37.5 degrees C). Logistic regression and proportional hazards function analysis were performed after adjustment for clinical predictors of stroke outcome. RESULTS In ischemic stoke, mortality was lower among patients with hypothermia and higher among patients with hyperthermia. The odds ratio for in-hospital mortality in hypothermic versus normothermic patients was 0.1 (95% CI, 0.02 to 0.5). The relative risk for 1-year mortality of hyperthermic versus normothermic patients was 3.4 (95% CI, 1.6 to 7.3). A similar but nonsignificant trend for in-hospital mortality was seen among patients with hemorrhagic stroke. CONCLUSIONS An association between admission body temperature and stroke mortality was noted independent of clinical variables of stroke severity. Hyperthermia was associated with an increase in 1-year mortality. Hypothermia was associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality.