Low vitamin D levels and the long‐term functional outcome of stroke up to 5 years

Background and purpose Previous studies have established that vitamin D was associated with stroke. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D and 5‐year outcome of patients with stroke including acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) stroke. Methods Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels were prospectively analyzed in patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from 2013 to 2015. Modified Rankin scale (mRS) was used to evaluate their 5‐year functional outcome, and univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied to evaluate the effects of vitamin D on stroke outcome. Results In total, 668 patients diagnosed with stroke were recruited, and 420 completed the 5‐year follow‐up. Ninety‐five patients experienced poor outcome in the 5 years since stroke onset. Vitamin D levels in patients with poor outcome showed significant differences compared to good outcome patients (p