AAN: Vitamin C Depletion Linked to Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Significantly lower vitamin C concentration for cases with intracerebral hemorrhage versus controls
AAN: Vitamin C Depletion Linked to Intracerebral Hemorrhage

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin C depletion is associated with intracerebral hemorrhage risk, according to a study released in advance of the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, which will be held from April 26 to May 3 in Philadelphia.

Stéphane Vannier, M.D., from the Pontchaillou University Hospital in Rennes, France, and colleagues conducted a prospective case-control study to examine the correlation between vitamin C concentration and intracerebral hemorrhage risk. Vitamin C concentrations were measured in 65 consecutive cases and in 65 matched controls.

The researchers found that 41 percent of cases had normal vitamin C status, and 45 and 14 percent, respectively, showed depletion and deficiency. In the overall population, the mean plasma vitamin C concentration was 45.8 ± 22.6 µmol/L. Vitamin C depletion was seen in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (35.3 ± 19.9 µmol/L) while controls had normal vitamin C status (56.2 ± 20.4 µmol/L; P < 0.001). Significant risk factors for deep intracerebral hemorrhage included high blood pressure, alcohol consumption, and overweight. Older patients (aged 75 years and older) had significantly more lobar than deep intracerebral hemorrhages. Vitamin D depletion was associated with longer hospitalization (P = 0.026), but not with acute or three-month mortality.

"Our results show that vitamin C deficiency should be considered a risk factor for this severe type of stroke, as were high blood pressure, drinking alcohol and being overweight in our study," Vannier said in a statement. "More research is needed to explore specifically how vitamin C may help to reduce stroke risk."

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