Serum Vitamin D Level as a Risk Factor and Prognostic Marker for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Case-Control Study at a Tertiary Care Centre in Northern India

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 9; p. e46117
• Main Authors: Kamal, Kislaya, Tewari, Jay, Bharti, Vipin, Sharma, Deepak, Atam, Isha, Atam, Virendra, Rana, Anadika, Roy, Shubhajeet
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto Cureus Inc 28.09.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Age; Alcohol abuse; Cardiovascular disease; Diabetes; Hypertension; Internal Medicine; Ischemia; Medical prognosis; Neurology; Recovery (Medical); Risk factors; Stroke; Vitamin D; Vitamin deficiency; Young adults; India
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.46117

IntroductionStroke is a predominant cause of death worldwide. Major risk factors for stroke in any age group are diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, smoking, and long-term alcohol abuse. It is of utmost importance to identify the risk factors for stroke to prevent recurrence. Vitamin D deficiency is identified as a risk factor for stroke. Therefore, we attempted to look for a correlation between vitamin D levels and acute ischemic stroke.MethodsThis observational case-control study was conducted with 150 patients (75 cases and 75 controls). On the day of admission, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was calculated, and vitamin D levels were measured for each patient. The functional outcome was determined by the modified Rankin scale (mRS).ResultsThe most common risk factors identified in this study were hypertension (61.3%), diabetes mellitus (41.3%), and smoking (37.3%). Out of 75 patients enrolled in the study, 49.4% had significant vitamin D deficiency, and 30.6% had insufficient vitamin D levels. Our study showed a significant correlation between vitamin D sufficiency in the body and the incidence of stroke (x2=3.888 and p=0.048). A significant correlation (p=0.03) was found between the NIHSS score and vitamin D levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke.ConclusionIn this observational case-control study, we concluded that the increasing severity of vitamin D deficiency was associated with more deaths and poor outcomes.