Correlation between Vitamin D, homocysteine and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in patients with ischemic...

Ischemic stroke risk increase is in relation to low serum vitamin D levels in some studies; however, the uncertainty about its relationship to serum homocysteine and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentration remains. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between vitamin D, homocysteine and BDNF levels in patients with acute stroke.

A total of 126 patients admitted to the emergency department with stroke and 64 healthy controls were included in this study. All patients received 150,000 U of vitamin D as part of a stroke treatment protocol during hospitalization. The patients were divided into two groups: the blood samples of the patients in the group-I (n=54) were taken at the time of admission to the hospital, and the samples of the patients in the group-II (n=72) were taken 24 hours after admission. Serum vitamin D, homocysteine, BDNF and routine biochemical analyses were performed from these samples.

Compared to healthy controls, stroke patients had lower serum vitamin D (p<0.0001) and BDNF (p<0.0001) levels, and higher homocysteine levels (p<0.0001). It was found that the homocysteine level was constant and the BDNF level increased (p=0.01) 24 hours after the 150,000 U vitamin D supplementation. Furthermore, there was a negative significant correlation between vitamin D levels, homocysteine and BDNF in patients who had experienced a stroke.

Vitamin D supplementation was used as a therapeutic agent in patients with acute ischemic stroke that affects homocysteine and BDNF levels. In this study, it was demonstrated for the first time that there is a correlation between serum vitamin D levels and BDNF levels in patients who have experienced a stroke.