Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP) in serum has been evaluated as a promising biomarker to differentiate between intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We assessed its value as diagnostic and prognostic tool for ICH through a literature systematic review and individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis. We performed a systematic search in PubMed database until November 2018 for publications that evaluated GFAP to differentiate AIS and ICH within 4.5 hours after symptoms onset. ⋯ Limited data precluded the evaluation of GFAP levels and functional outcome. These findings demonstrate substantially different levels of GFAP in the blood of patients with ICH compared with patients with AIS soon after the event, while no association was found with outcome. In summary, GFAP could be a valuable diagnostic tool to assist in medical decision-making and to optimize management of stroke in the acute setting.