Ameliorated Outcome of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients Treated with Reduced Form Glutathione

This study was designed to investigate the effects of glutathione (GSH) on delayed vasospasm and the outcome of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. Seventy-seven SAH patients who were admitted to 4 hospitals and operated on within 72 h after SAH, were injected intravenously with GSH (2.4 g/day) every 6 h for 14 days. Seventy SAH patients who were not treated with GSH in the same period were selected as the control group. Patient background, the outcome at 3 months after SAH according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the occurrence of symptomatic vasospasm were investigated. There were no statistically significant differences in patient backgrounds between the 2 groups. Regarding patient outcome, 57 patients (74%) showed good recovery, 8 (10%) were moderately disabled, 9 (12%) were severely disabled, 2 (3%) were in vegetative survival and 1 (1%) died in the GSH group, versus 39 (56%), 9 (13%), 15 (21%), 3 (4%) and 4 (6%) in the control group, respectively. These overall outcomes in the GSH group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In the GSH group, 31 patients (40%) showed symptomatic vasospasm, significantly lower than 46 (66%) in the control group (P < 0.01). Administration of GSH could be a good treatment for SAH patients.