Internal Medicine - News & Articles

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased mortality in ICU patients

Among 130 patients requiring mechanical ventilation, 107 were vitamin D-deficient (< 20 ng/ml). Of the patients who did not survive, the length of survival was shorter in the vitamin D-deficient patients (15.3 vs. 24.2 days, respectively).

Coronary artery calcium increases cardiovascular risk in patients with T2DM and HTN

Researchers at Tel-Aviv University have conducted a study to determine the value of coronary artery calcium (CAC) measurements in cardiovascular risk stratification in patients with T2DM and HTN. The study involved 423 patients enrolled in the International Nifedipine Study: Intervention as Goal for Hypertension Therapy. The patients had baseline CT scans for CAC measurement at baseline and were shown to be free of disease. Follow-up CT scans were performed at 3 and 15 years. Cardiovascular events (CVEs) occurred in 41 of 423 patients at 3 years and 111 of 268 patients at 15 years of follow-up. CVEs occurred in 15% and 52% (CAC+) and 7% and 32% (CAC-) of patients with T2DM at 3 and 15 years of follow-up, respectively. Compared to patients without T2DM and no CAC, the HRs for a CVE were 6.6 and 3.9 in T2DM patients with and without CAC, respectively.

CAC scores add predictability to Framingham

Researchers at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam have evaluated 12 measures (N-terminal fragment of prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide levels, von Willebrand factor antigen levels, fibrinogen levels, chronic kidney disease, leukocyte count, C-reactive protein levels, homocysteine levels, uric acid levels, coronary artery calcium [CAC] scores, carotid intima–media thickness, peripheral arterial disease, and pulse wave velocity), in addition to Framingham risk scores for predicting coronary heart disease. Only the CAC was shown to add significantly to the Framingham risk score in predicting coronary heart disease.