Creatine kinase BB activity in serum of patients with acute stroke: correlation with the severity of brain damage.

BB-CK activity was measured in 11 patients with stroke and in 10 controls. Blood samples were taken 36 hours after the clinical stroke onset in every patient. Sera were stored at -80 degrees and analyzed within two months. The creatine kinase isoenzymatic pattern was determined by ion-exchange column separation and gradient elution system. The mean BB-CK concentration in patients with stroke was significantly higher than in controls (p less than 0.01). In the group of "stroke" patients we found a correlation between severity of brain damage, as suggested by the clinical picture and CT scans, and serum values of BB-CK.