Serum calcium and phosphate concentrations and intracranial atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE

Serum calcium and phosphate concentrations are independent risk factors for stroke and positively associated with extracranial carotid atherosclerosis. We evaluated whether higher serum calcium and phosphate concentrations would be associated with intracranial atherosclerosis in a stroke-free Korean population.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the records of 361 stroke-free subjects who consecutively visited a general health promotion center. Included subjects had serum calcium, phosphate, and albumin drawn and underwent brain magnetic resonance angiography. The basilar, middle cerebral, intracranial internal carotid, and intracranial vertebral arteries were evaluated. Serum calcium concentration was corrected for serum albumin concentration.

RESULTS

Mean ± SD values were 52 ± 10 years for age, 2.35 ± 0.09 mmol/l for uncorrected serum calcium concentration, 2.24 ± 0.08 mmol/l for corrected serum calcium concentration, and 1.19 ± 0.18 mmol/l for serum phosphate concentration. Seventy-four subjects (21%) had intracranial atherosclerosis. Subjects in the upper three quartiles of corrected serum calcium concentration had a significantly greater risk for intracranial atherosclerosis compared with the lowest quartile with the odds ratios of 3.50 (95% confidence interval 1.50-8.15), 3.11 (95% confidence interval 1.26-7.69), and 3.77 (95% confidence interval 1.58-9.03), respectively. However, serum phosphate and uncorrected serum calcium concentrations were not associated with intracranial atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSION

Corrected serum calcium concentrations are positively associated with the presence of intracranial atherosclerosis.