In a prospective population-based study, analyses were performed to evaluate the 30-day case fatality in stroke as related to the following factors: hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (Hgb), red blood cells (RBC), mean cell volume (MCV), platelet count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cells (WBC) and glucose concentration. We studied 345 patients with stroke, 170 men and 175 women, mean age 68.4 +/- 14.2 years, admitted within 72 h of stroke onset. Patients who died had significantly higher mean values of ESR, WBC, HCT and glucose concentration than the patients who survived. Logistic regression analysis revealed that ESR, HCT and WBC are independent factors predicting 30-day case fatality. The odds ratio (OR) for ESR was 1.006 (95% CI 1.0002-1.011), for HCT 1.04 (95% CI 1.01-1.07), for WBC 1.03 (95% CI 1.01-1.05). Glucose concentration after adjusting for the severity of neural deficit did not become an independent predictor.