Journal of Nepal Medical Association (Sep 2014)

Status of Vitamin D and its Association with Stroke Risk Factors in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke in a Tertiary Care Hospital

  • Lekhjung Thapa,
  • Baburam Pokhrel,
  • Asis Shrestha,
  • Manohar Pradhan,
  • Tirtha Raj Bhandari,
  • Shakti Shrestha,
  • Ramesh Sharma Poudel,
  • Raju Poudel

DOI
https://doi.org/10.31729/jnma.2719
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 52, no. 195

Abstract

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Introduction: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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). Conclusions: 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. Keywords: deficiency; nepal; stroke; vitamin D.

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