While the GFAP and CHI3L1 levels are known to be increased in strokes, and the GFAP elevation may help differentiate intracranial haemorrhage from ischemic stroke [6,20,21,22,23], the correlation of the two astroglial markers with CSVD severity and other CSVD markers remains uncertain. The gene discussed is GFAP; the disease is ischemic stroke.