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Vitamin D deficiency and supplementation and relation to cardiovascular health
The American Journal of Cardiology, 01/27/2012
Vacek JL et al. – Vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significant risk of cardiovascular disease and reduced survival. Vitamin D supplementation was significantly associated with better survival, specifically in patients with documented deficiency.
Methods- Authors examined the associations between vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplementation, and patient outcomes in a large cohort.
- Serum vitamin D measurements for 5 years and 8 months from a large academic institution were matched to patient demographic, physiologic, and disease variables.
- The vitamin D levels were analyzed as a continuous variable and as normal (≥30 ng/ml) or deficient (<30 ng/ml).
- Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, multivariate analysis, survival analysis, and Cox proportional hazard modeling were performed.
- Of 10,899 patients, the mean age was 58 ± 15 years, 71% were women (n = 7,758), and the average body mass index was 30 ± 8 kg/m2.
- The mean serum vitamin D level was 24.1 ± 13.6 ng/ml.
- Of the 10,899 patients, 3,294 (29.7%) were in the normal vitamin D range and 7,665 (70.3%) were deficient.
- Vitamin D deficiency was associated with several cardiovascular–related diseases, including hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, and diabetes (all p <0.05).
- Vitamin D deficiency was a strong independent predictor of all–cause death (odds ratios 2.64, 95% confidence interval 1.901 to 3.662, p <0.0001) after adjusting for multiple clinical variables.
- Vitamin D supplementation conferred substantial survival benefit (odds ratio for death 0.39, 95% confidence interval 0.277 to 0.534, p <0.0001).