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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Stroke
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1501294
This article is part of the Research Topic Evaluation of Fitness in Stroke Survivors View all 4 articles

Association Between Serum Albumin and Severe Impairment of Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Stroke: A Cross-Sectional Study

Provisionally accepted
Ranran Bi Ranran Bi 1*Yupeng Shi Yupeng Shi 2Manrong Li Manrong Li 1Xiaochen Liu Xiaochen Liu 1Zhenchao Ma Zhenchao Ma 1Yiqing Huang Yiqing Huang 1Bingyin Liang Bingyin Liang 1Fang Cui Fang Cui 1
  • 1 Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
  • 2 Shandong Provincial Third Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The relationship between serum albumin levels and severe limitations in ADLs among stroke patients remains unclear. Specifically, the dose-response relationship between the two needs further exploration. This study aims to provide further results.This study examined cross-sectional data from patients aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of stroke confirmed by cranial CT or MRI within 24 hours of admission, gathered from January 2018 to August 2020. Data included serum albumin levels, Barthel Index scores recorded after admission, and other essential variables.The study comprised 2,393 stroke patients. After adjusting for confounding factors, the multivariate analysis revealed a 7% decrease in severe impairment of ADL after stroke for every unit (g/L) increase in serum albumin levels. Compared with individuals with lower serum albumin levels (Q1: ≤ 37.4 g/L), the adjusted odds ratios (OR) for severe of ADL impairment among stroke patients in Q2 (37.4-40.21 g/L), Q3 (40.21-42.80 g/L), and Q4 (≥42.8 g/L) were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.4-1.15, p = 0.148), 0.55 (95% CI: 0.32-0.97, p = 0.04), and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.37-1.15, p = 0.139), respectively. The relationship between serum albumin and severe impairment of ADLs in stroke patients showed an L-shaped curve (non-linear, p = 0.002), with an inflection point at 38.0 g/L. The OR for significant impairment of ADLs was 0.680 (95% CI: 0.568-0.814, p < 0.001) in participants with serum albumin levels < 38.0 g/L. However, when serum albumin levels were greater than or equal to 38.0 g/L, the severe impairment of ADLs no longer decreased with rising serum albumin levels.In summary, an L-shaped connection with an approximate inflection point of 38.0 g/L was found between blood albumin levels and significant ADL impairment in stroke patients. The results of this study suggest that increasing serum albumin levels can significantly help improve the severity of ADL impairment in stroke patients, particularly those with serum albumin levels below 38.0 g/L.

    Keywords: Serum Albumin, Severe impairment, Activities of Daily Living, Stroke, L-Shaped, Crosssectional study

    Received: 24 Sep 2024; Accepted: 12 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Bi, Shi, Li, Liu, Ma, Huang, Liang and Cui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Ranran Bi, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200120, Shanghai Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.