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Scurvy and stroke: is there an association?

Felicity J Rose and Jonathan P Whitehead
Med J Aust 2011; 194 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2011.tb03070.x
Published online: 2 May 2011

To the Editor: We read with interest the recent letter by He and colleagues.1 The authors described a case of ischaemic stroke in a patient with scurvy and considered whether there was a connection between the two conditions. They referred to evidence that vitamin C deficiency may be a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease, but acknowledged that a direct causal link is unlikely to be established.


  • Department of Metabolic Medicine, Mater Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD.



  • 1. He EY, Wang LW, Kiernan MC. Scurvy and stroke: is there an association? Med J Aust 2010; 193: 555-556. <MJA full text>
  • 2. Whitehead JP, Richards AA, Hickman IJ, et al. Adiponectin — a key adipokine in the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Obes Metab 2006; 8: 264-280.
  • 3. Nishimura M, Izumiya Y, Higuchi A, et al. Adiponectin prevents cerebral ischemic injury through endothelial nitric oxide synthase dependent mechanisms. Circulation 2008; 117: 216-223.
  • 4. Szmitko PE, Teoh H, Stewart DJ, Verma S. Adiponectin and cardiovascular disease: state of the art? Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2007; 292: H1655-H1663.
  • 5. Rose FJ, Webster J, Barry JB, et al. Synergistic effects of ascorbic acid and thiazolidinedione on secretion of high molecular weight adiponectin from human adipocytes. Diabetes Obes Metab 2010; 12: 1084-1089.

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