Abstract
Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with many neurological illnesses. The status of Vitamin D in Nepalese ischemic stroke patients is still unknown. This study aims to assess the status of vitamin D and its association with stroke risk factors in patients with acute ischemic stroke from Central Nepal. A total of 60 patients with ischemic stroke were included in the study. Their clinical profile and Vitamin D status were assessed. Frequency distribution, Pearson χ2test and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed for statistical analysis using SPSS-IBM 20. The median (IQR) age of the patient was 65 (53.25, 70.75) years, ranging from 18-87 years. Thirty-four (56.7%) were males. Fourty-eight (80%) patients had hypertension and 34 (56.7%) were smoker. Previous stroke was present in six (10%) cases. Thirty-seven (61.6%) patients had low levels of Vitamin D out of which 26 (43.3%) had vitamin D insufficiency and 11 (18.3%) had vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D level was significantly associated with previous history of stroke (P=0.043). Vitamin D deficiency occurs in patients with ischemic stroke. Previous episodes of stroke with low vitamin D levels could be a cause of recurrent strokes. Further studies are necessary to establish the role of vitamin D in acute ischemic stroke in Nepalese population.
Highlights
Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with many neurological illnesses
Status of vitamin D and its role in acute ischemic stroke patients is lacking in literature from Nepal
Studies have been done to find out whether the vitamin D deficiency observed in elderly is associated to stroke
Summary
Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with many neurological illnesses. The status of Vitamin D in Nepalese ischemic stroke patients is still unknown. This study aims to assess the status of vitamin D and its association with stroke risk factors in patients with acute ischemic stroke from Central Nepal. Vitamin D has roles in immunity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular physiology[1] and its deficiency might be involved in the development of several diseases, including arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart failure,[2] acute myocardial infarction[3] and stroke.[4] Its antitumor property has been studied in breast,[5] prostate,[6] and colon cancers.[7] The overall health importance of vitamin D is further supported by a meta-analysis that found a significant reduction of total mortality in patients who received vitamin D.8. Recent studies have linked low circulating level of vitamin D with increased risk of cerebrovascular disease suggesting vitamin D supplementation as a promising approach in the prevention of strokes.[9,10,11] Besides this, status of vitamin D and its role in acute ischemic stroke patients is lacking in literature from Nepal.
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