Diagnostic accuracy of plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein for differentiating intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia in patients with symptoms of acute stroke.

Abstract BACKGROUND Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a biomarker candidate indicative of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in patients with symptoms of acute stroke. GFAP is released rapidly in the presence of expanding intracerebral bleeding, whereas a more gradual release occurs in ischemic stroke. In this study the diagnostic accuracy of plasma GFAP was determined in a prospective multicenter approach. METHODS Within a 1-year recruitment period, patients suspected of having acute (symptom onset <4.5 h before admission) hemispheric stroke were prospectively included into the study in 14 stroke centers in Germany and Switzerland. A blood sample was collected at admission, and …