Plasma l-carnitine and risks of cardiovascular events and recurrent stroke after ischemic stroke: A nested case-control study

•Our nested case-control study indicated that higher l-carnitine levels were associated with lower risks of cardiovascular events and recurrent stroke after ischemic stroke.•Adding l-carnitine to traditional risk factors significantly improved risk discrimination and stratification of cardiovascular events and recurrent stroke.•Our findings support plasma l-carnitine as a potential prognostic marker for recurrent cardiovascular events after stroke.