The Relationship between Serum Vitamin D Level, Ischemic Stroke Severity and Lesion Volume in Ischemic Stroke Patients in Iran, 2019: An Analytic Cross-sectional Study

Vitamin D deficiency is a major global problem. The relationship between serum vitamin D level, ischemic stroke severity, and the resulted lesion volume is controversial. This study is aimed at investigating the relationship between serum vitamin D level, severity of ischemic stroke, and lesion volume compared to the control group. This analytic cross-sectional study was performed on 93 ischemic stroke patients compared to the control group during 2019. Brain imaging, lesion volume measuring, and record were performed for all patients. Severity of stroke was assessed by MRS score at the time of admission and discharge. Serum 25(OH) D levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the end, the data were analyzed by SPSS19 software. The mean ±standard deviation of vitamin D was 28.78±9.5 ng.ml-1 with the range of (10-49) in patients, and 29.11±8.7 with range of (12-51) in control group. Vitamin D level significantly decreased depending on age (P=0.003). The mean vitamin D levels had a significant negative relationship with the first and second MRS scores (P<0.001). Mean vitamin D levels had a significant negative relationship with the severity of stroke and lesion volume (P<0.001). Reduced vitamin D serum level is associated with higher severity of stroke and lesion volume.