Association of Vitamin D Level with the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Saudi Patients Presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D plays several vital roles in the body and its impact on cardiovascular outcome is of great concern to cardiac specialists. This study investigated the influences of Vitamin D levels on coronary artery stenosis (CAS).
Subjects and Method: A case study involving 248 patients (74% ,184 males); mean age of 57±13 years in which serum levels of vitamin D were measured in Saudi patients admitted to King Saud Medical Hospital with acute coronary syndrome. Coronary arteries were classified angiographically as normal, non-obstructive or obstructive coronary stenosis when there is more than 70% luminal stenosis. The relationship between vitamin D levels and coronary stenosis was assessed using SPSS software.
Results: The findings show that the mean (standard deviation; SD) levels of vitamin-D was (14.3 7.3 ng/ml. Most of the patients (205 [82.7%]) were found to have low serum vitamin-D level. Of 248 patients recruited for this study, 70 (28%) of them had unstable angina, 85 (34.5%) had ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and 93 (37.5%) had non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Likewise, 58 patients (23.4%) had three vessel disease, 75 (30.2%) had two vessel disease, 76 (30.4%) had one vessel disease, 29 (12%) had a non-obstructive coronary artery stenosis and 10 (4%) had visually normal coronary arteries. Vitamin-D level was not a significant predictor of the degree of coronary luminal stenosis (p=0.15).However, a low vitamin-D level in individuals older than 55 years was a significant predictor of non-obstructive coronary artery stenosis [odds ratio (OD) =2.63, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.21-5.55, p=0.015].
Conclusions: It is concluded that low vitamin-D level does not correlate with the severity of coronary stenosis, but normal level in patients older than 55 years is associated with decreased severity of coronary stenosis.