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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Stroke
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1534746
Impact of Hemoglobin Levels on Acute Ischemic Stroke Severity
Provisionally accepted
Shaima Abuhulayqah1
Fajar Abdulrazzak Aldulijan2Alaa Nabil Turkistani3Albatoul Fahad Almulhim4
Cereen Fahad Almulhim5
Sirin Almulhim4
Shahid Bashir4
Eman Nassim Ali4*- 1King Fahad Hospital Hufūf, Al Hufūf, Saudi Arabia
- 2Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
- 3King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- 4King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
- 5Department of Neurology, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Introduction: Stroke is one of the most common causes of disability and mortality worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, it is a crucial health issue. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke in this area, and understanding its relationship with hemoglobin (Hgb) levels is vital. To date, no study has established an exact relationship between Hgb levels and stroke severity. This study assessed the association between Hgb levels and the severity of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) at presentation. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients admitted and diagnosed with AIS between 2013 and 2017. The exclusion criteria included other stroke types (such as hemorrhagic or venous infarction), patients with a history of internal bleeding, and pregnant and lactating women.The patients were divided into three groups based on Hgb levels: low, average, and high.Correlations were analyzed between these groups and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, stroke outcomes at discharge (cured, improved, or mortality decreased), and stroke subtype, as determined and classified by the TOAST classification criteria.Results: The Pearson correlation coefficient showed a weak positive correlation between Hgb levels and NIHSS scores. Neither stroke outcomes nor stroke types showed significant correlations with mean Hgb level.The results of this retrospective study on a small cohort of patients diagnosed with AIS indicate that higher Hgb levels at hospital admission are associated with greater stroke severity, as measured by the NIHSS score. However, no significant effect was observed on stroke outcome at discharge or the TOAST classification.
Keywords: Hemoglobin levels, Acute ischemic stroke, stroke severity, Anemia and Stroke, Stroke risk factors, Stroke assessment
Received: 26 Nov 2024; Accepted: 25 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Abuhulayqah, Aldulijan, Turkistani, Almulhim, Almulhim, Almulhim, Bashir and Ali. 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: Eman Nassim Ali, King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
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