Electrical bioimpedance in patients after ischemic stroke, a civilization disease

Introduction Ischemic stroke is caused by artery blockage, resulting in damage to brain tissue. A significant factor in the further treatment of a patient is not only the time to reach a specialist centre, but also the state of hydration of the organism. Clinical situations involving the excess or deficiency of water can have extremely serious consequences for the functioning of the body and subsequent stroke-related disorders. One of the increasingly common methods of evaluating the composition of the human body is by electrical bioimpedance. Objective The aim of the study was to assess the state of human body hydration measured by bioimpedance in patients with an early stage of ischemic stroke. Material and methods The examination involved 81 patients with ischemic stroke in the Neurology Department, Subdivision of Stroke Treatment at the Province Specialist Hospital in Lublin, Poland, in 2015. Measurement of the composition and outer and intracellular space of the human body by the Whole Body Bioimpedance (WBIA) method was performed using the Body Composition Monitor (BCM) (Fresenius Medical Care GmbH, Bad Homburg, Germany). Results A group of patients were been examined with the use of the BIA apparatus three times: on the first, seventh, and tenth day of hospital stay, to determine the level of body hydration. Comparative analysis of data showed that on the first day of hospitalization all the measurements of electrical bioimpedance parameters in the patients were significantly different from those of the control group. In the case of TBW, ECW, ICW, the patients’ scores were significantly higher than those of the control group. Only with respect to the over-hydration index, the patients achieved a significantly lower score than the control group. Conclusions Assessment of hydration status in patients with a diagnosed stroke indicates a slight dehydration in relation to the control group, but falling within the scope of normovolaemia, according to bioimpedance measurement standards.