A method for diagnosing stroke (cerebrovascular accident) in patients within 12 h after occurrence of clinical symptoms, characterized by quantitatively detecting in vitro in at least one blood sample of a patient a plurality of metabolic compounds being specific for stroke, and having a molecular weight of less than 1500 Dalton comprising the steps of: a) selecting said plurality of metabolic compounds comprising at least one of the sets of metabolites selected from the group consisting of: Set No Metabolic Compounds 1 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn,Glycolithocholic acid,Thr, Propionylcarnitine,Met,4ß-Hydroxycholesterol,Phe,Taurolithocholic acid, Valerylcarnitine,Carnitine,Ser,Phospatidylcholine acyl-alkyl C42:1,Serotonin, Phospatidylcholine diacyl C42:1,Chenodeoxycholic acid, Butyrylcarnitine,Glu,Lysophospatidylcholine acyl C24:0 2 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn,Glycolithocholic acid,Thr,Propionylcarnitine,Met,4ß-Hydroxycholesterol,Phe,Taurolithocholic acid 3 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn,Glycolithocholic acid,Thr 4 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn, Glycolithocholic acid 6 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn 7 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr wherein in acylcarnitines, phosphatidylcholines, and lysophosphatidylcholines, the number following "C" represents the number of total carbon atoms in the fatty acid and/or alkyl residue(s), and the number after the colon represents the number of total double bonds in the fatty acid residue and/or alkyl residue(s); b) measuring at least one of the parameters selected from the group consisting of: presence, concentration, level or amount of each specific compound of said plurality of compounds in said sample; obtaining a qualitative and/or quantitative molecular pattern from the entirety of the obtained values from said parameter measurements; and storing said obtained set of values in a database; c) calibrating said values by comparing clinically confirmed stroke-positive and/or clinically confirmed stroke-negative reference parameters; and d) comparing said measured values in the sample with the calibrated values, in order to assess whether the patient is stroke-positive or stroke-negative. a) selecting said plurality of metabolic compounds comprising at least one of the sets of metabolites selected from the group consisting of: Set No Metabolic Compounds 1 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn,Glycolithocholic acid,Thr, Propionylcarnitine,Met,4ß-Hydroxycholesterol,Phe,Taurolithocholic acid, Valerylcarnitine,Carnitine,Ser,Phospatidylcholine acyl-alkyl C42:1,Serotonin, Phospatidylcholine diacyl C42:1,Chenodeoxycholic acid, Butyrylcarnitine,Glu,Lysophospatidylcholine acyl C24:0 2 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn,Glycolithocholic acid,Thr,Propionylcarnitine,Met,4ß-Hydroxycholesterol,Phe,Taurolithocholic acid 3 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn,Glycolithocholic acid,Thr 4 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn, Glycolithocholic acid 6 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr,Orn 7 Hydroxyvalerylcarnitine/Methylmalonylcarnitine,Tyr wherein in acylcarnitines, phosphatidylcholines, and lysophosphatidylcholines, the number following "C" represents the number of total carbon atoms in the fatty acid and/or alkyl residue(s), and the number after the colon represents the number of total double bonds in the fatty acid residue and/or alkyl residue(s); b) measuring at least one of the parameters selected from the group consisting of: presence, concentration, level or amount of each specific compound of said plurality of compounds in said sample; obtaining a qualitative and/or quantitative molecular pattern from the entirety of the obtained values from said parameter measurements; and storing said obtained set of values in a database; c) calibrating said values by comparing clinically confirmed stroke-positive and/or clinically confirmed stroke-negative reference parameters; and d) comparing said measured values in the sample with the calibrated values, in order to assess whether the patient is stroke-positive or stroke-negative.