[Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for cerebrovascular diseases].

Abstract

Vitamin D is a lipid-soluble steroid hormone whose role has been well-known in calcium and bone metabolism for a long time. In the last decades, vitamin D deficiency, which affects approximately 24% to 40% of the population, has been linked to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disorders including cerebrovascular diseases, one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to epidemiological studies, vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk and more severe outcome of ischemic stroke, vascular cognitive impairment, and cerebral cavernous malformations. Although several consequences of vitamin D deficiency, such as endothelial dysfunction, increased oxidative stress, vascular permeability, and inflammation, are implicated in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disorders; the exact molecular pathomechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. In addition, further research is needed to clarify the preventive and therapeutic potential of vitamin D supplementation in cerebrovascular diseases. This brief overview focuses on the effects of vitamin D on cerebral circulation and summarizes the molecular and functional changes characteristic of vitamin D deficiency, which may play a role in the development of cerebrovascular diseases. Furthermore, the role of vitamin D deficiency in the pathogenesis and progression of ischemic stroke, vascular cognitive impairment, and cerebral cavernous malformations is discussed in more detail. Understanding the complex role of vitamin D deficiency in these disorders may be important in the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases as vitamin D deficiency might be an easily modifiable cerebrovascular risk factor. Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(50): 1958–1968.