Sixty stroke patients and 30 age and sex-matched control subjects were recruited in this study. Patients were subsequently divided into 3 groups: group I, 30 acute ischemic atherosclerotic stroke patients; group II, 30 acute cardioembolic stroke patients; and group III, normal healthy control subjects.

The age of the selected patients ranged from 31–74 years, and age of control subjects ranged from 34–60 years. In patients’ groups: there were 39 males (65%) and 21 females (35%), while in control subjects there were 20 males (66.7%) and 10 females (33.3%). In group I there were 20 males and 10 females, while in group II there were 19 males and 11 females.

Tables 1 and 2 show the comorbidities and vascular risk factors in patients and control groups. Thirty-five out of 60 patients had a cardiac problem which includes: valvular heart disease, cardiomyopathy (ischemic or non-ischemic) (58.3%), 27 had abnormal ECG (45%) in the form of atrial fibrillation. Thirty-two patients had abnormal echo (53.3%) in the form of dilated left atrium, cardiomyopathy, impaired contractility, regional wall motion abnormalities and valvular dysfunction.

Patients’ NIHSS ranged from 2 to 19 with a mean of 10.28 ± 4.56 SD. Patients’ mRS score ranged from (1 to 5) with mean of 3 ± 0.99 as in Tables 3 and 4.

Forty-eight patients (80%) had anterior circulation stroke, while 12 patients (20%) had posterior circulation stroke. In group I: 23 patients had anterior circulation stroke, 7 patients had posterior circulation stroke, while in group II: 25 patients had anterior circulation stroke, 5 patients had posterior circulation stroke as shown in Table 5.

Among 60 patients, 36 had increased intima media thickness (IMT) on both sides (60%) and 24 patients with normal (IMT) on both sides (40%), compared to 30 control subjects who had normal IMT on both sides, as described in Table 6.

Forty patients had abnormal duplex finding either intracranial or extracranial (66.7%), 20 patients had normal duplex (33.3%). Duplex findings are shown in Tables 7 and 8.

It was noticed that higher levels of VWF were present in acute ischemic patients than in control subjects. Such a difference was statistically highly significant (P value < 0.001***) as in Table 9 and Fig. 1.

VWF levels (ng/dl) in patients and control subjects

Higher plasma level of VWF was noticed in patients with acute ischemic atherosclerotic stroke (group I) than in patients with acute cardioembolic stroke (group II) with statistical significance. P value = 0.025* as in Table 10 and Fig. 2.

VWF plasma levels (ng/dl) in patients’ subgroups

We found increased level of VWF in patients with increased intima media thickness (IMT) (49.68 ± 28) compared to patients with normal intima media thickness (IMT) (40.35 ± 21.82 ng/dl), however such difference was not statistically significant, P value = 0.386 as described in Table 11 and Fig. 3.

Comparative between VWF levels (ng/dl) and IMT in patients using independent-samples Mann–Whitney U test

No statistical significance was detected while comparing VWF plasma levels with degree of overall stenosis in patients, P value = 0.112 as in Table 12.

Also, no statistical significance was found while comparing VWF plasma levels with degree of stenosis of extracranial or intracranial arteries in patients p value = 0.090, P value = 0.316 as in Table 13.

No statistically significant difference was detected when comparing VWF levels in patient with anterior circulation infarction (46.73 ± 27.74 ng/dl) versus posterior circulation infarction patients (42.82 ± 17.42 ng/dl), P value = 0.904.

There was no statistically significant comparative between VWF plasma levels and renal function, hepatic function, lipid function, uric acid and HbA1C.

No statistically significant difference in VWF level between males and females with P value = 0.768.

No statistically significant relation was observed between VWF plasma level and NIHSS score, mRS score and age in patients’ group (P value 0.787, 0.411, 0.625), respectively.