Blood Glutamate Levels Are Closely Related to Acute Lung Injury and Prognosis after Stroke

BackgroundAcute lung injury (ALI) is a serious complication of stroke that occurs with a high incidence. Our preclinical results indicated that ALI might be related to blood glutamate levels after brain injury. The purpose of this study was to assess dynamic changes in blood glutamate levels in patients with stroke and to determine the correlation between blood glutamate levels, ALI, and long-term prognosis after stroke.MethodsVenous blood samples were collected from controls and patients with stroke at admission and on the third and seventh day after the onset of stroke. Patients were followed for 3 months. The correlations among blood glutamate levels, severities of stroke and ALI, and long-term outcomes were analyzed, and the predictive values of blood glutamate levels and severity scores for ALI were assessed.ResultsIn this study, a total of 384 patients with stroke were enrolled, with a median age of 59 years. Patients showed significantly increased blood glutamate levels within 7 days of stroke onset (p