Circadian Temperature in Moderate to Severe Acute Stroke Patients

BACKGROUND: Stroke patients often present circadian disruption due to multiple causes e.g., primary disease, comorbidities, medication, immobilization, reduced daylight entrainment and sleep disturbances.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the circadian rhythm of temperature in forehead skin in patients with moderate to severe stroke admitted for rehabilitation.

METHODS: A physiologic study in form of a secondary analysis of a former randomized study. In total 27 patients with moderate to severe stroke were included between May 1st 2014, and June 1st 2015. Circadian temperature was collected approx. seven days after admission at the acute stroke unit by a skin surface temperature probe as part of a Polysomnography (PSG) measurement.

RESULTS: Temperature variations show no circadian rhythm (Type 3 tests of fixed effects by SAS, p = 0.1610). The median temperature variance did fluctuate, but not significantly, and the small changes in circadian temperature variance did not follow the normal temperature variance.

CONCLUSION: Patients with moderate to severe stroke show an abrogated circadian rhythm of temperature. There is an unmet need to understand the mechanisms for this, significance for stroke outcome and treatment.