Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the levels of sAA (Salivary Alpha-Amylase) in stroke patients. The H0 hypothesis of the study was established as the increase in sAA activity after stroke is not statistically significant when compared with the normal healthy population of the similar age group. Patients and Methods: This research is a case-control study. Forty-two patients who had a stroke during the period of February-November 2018 in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Turkey and 40 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Saliva samples were collected within the first seven days after stroke. Saliva samples were taken by passive dilution (drool) technique with the standard method at certain hours. The concentration in U/mL of sAA in the samples is then calculated by comparing optical densities (OD) of the samples to the standard curve. Results: In the stroke group, a total of 42 patients and a total of 40 patients as volunteers were evaluated. The mean age was 69.4 ± 6.1 in the stroke group and 69.6 ± 6.4 in the healthy volunteers. The mean functional independence criterion in the stroke group was 64.7 ± 18.4. The sAA levels were found to be 142.18 ± 42.15 U / mL in the stroke group and 103.69 ± 36.52 U / mL in the healthy volunteers. There were statistically significant difference levels of the sAA between the two groups (p: 0.012). Conclusion: The levels of sAA in stroke patients were not clearly investigated in the literature, and the results indicate that patients with stroke have higher sAA activity compared to healthy subjects. The relationships between autonomic dysfunction and high sAA activity in stroke patients are new topics to be investigated.

Key words: Salivary alpha-amylase, saliva, stroke, dysphagia