Cerebrovascular disease: how serum phosphorus, vitamin D, and uric acid levels contribute to the ischemic stroke

Abstract

Associations between serum phosphorus level and the incidence of ischemic stroke are not clear. This study aimed to measure serum phosphorus, vitamin D3, and uric acid levels in ischemic stroke patients compared to a population without ischemic stroke. In this cross-sectional study, 133 patients admitted to a neurology ward with the diagnosis of ischemic stroke were compared with a control group comprising 133 age- and gender-matching individuals. The presence of ischemic stroke was confirmed by a neurologist based on clinical signs, symptoms, brain CT scan, and MRI. Blood samples were taken from all patients in the first 24 h of admission to measure serum phosphorus, vitamin D3, calcium, and uric acid levels. According to the results of this study, uric acid medians in patients with stroke and controls were 4.9 [3.8–6.4] and 3.9 [3.5–4.9] mg/dL, respectively (p < 0.001). Median phosphorus and vitamin D levels were significantly lower in stroke patients than the controls (3.6 [3.02–4.21] vs. 4.2 [3.8–4.6]) and (15.1 [8.2–27.9] vs. 22.7 [10.4–39.2]), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the ischemic stroke was positively associated with the vitamin D level and negatively correlated with the uric acid level. The phosphorus level was not significantly predictive of ischemic stroke. Lower serum levels of vitamin D3 and higher levels of uric acid were associated with ischemic stroke. There are still unknowns about the role of these indicators on ischemic stroke and it requires further studies.