Data from: Depressed TSH level as a predictor of poststroke fatigue in patients with acute ischemic stroke

Objectives: To investigate whether thyroid function profiles can predict
the poststroke fatigue (PSF) in patients with AIS. Methods: Stroke
patients were consecutively recruited within 3 days of onset in Jinling
hospital. Serum levels of thyroid hormones, thyroid antibodies,
haematological indexes, and biochemical indexes were measured on
admission. Fatigue was scored by the FSS. Association were analyzed with
multivariate regression and restricted cubic splines. Results: Of the 704
stroke patients, 292 (41.5%) were diagnosed with fatigue in the acute
stage and 224 (35.3%) at 6-month of the index stroke. The serum levels of
TSH were inversely associated with the risk of PSF in both acute phase and
follow-up evaluations after adjusting for potential confounders (OR 0.30,
95% CI 0.24-0.37 in the acute phase and OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.58-0.84 at
follow-up). The subgroup analysis indicated that in acute phase of
ischemic stroke, TSH was associated with the severity of PSF in group of
euthyroidism (β = -0.70, p<0.001), subclinical hypothyroidism (β =
-0.44, p<0.001) and low-T3 syndrome (β = -0.34, p=0.008). Higher
TSH was associated with the better FSS scores in patients with low- T3
syndrome at 6-month of the index stroke (β = -0.35, p=0.01). Furthermore,
in the group of low-T3 syndrome, FT3 serum level could also indicate a
higher risk of PSF (β = -2.54, p<0.001 in the acute phase and β = -
2.67, p<0.001 at follow-up). Conclusions: Thyroid function profiles
may predict fatigue after AIS, suggesting that neuroendocrine responses
could play a role in PSF.