Vitamin D status and outcomes in heart failure patients.

Eur J Heart Fail. 2011 May 4.
Liu LC, Voors AA, van Veldhuisen DJ, van der Veer E, Belonje AM, Szymanski MK, Silljé HH, van Gilst WH, Jaarsma T, de Boer RA.
Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.

AIMS:
Vitamin D status has been implicated in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). The aims of this study were to determine whether a low vitamin D status is associated with prognosis in HF and whether activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and inflammatory markers could explain this potential association.

METHODS AND RESULTS:
We measured 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D), plasma renin activity (PRA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and the incidence of death or HF rehospitalization in 548 patients with HF. Median age was 74 (64-80) years, left ventricular ejection fraction was 30% (23-42), and mean follow-up was 18 months.
Low 25(OH)D levels were associated with

• female gender (P< 0.001),
• higher age (P= 0.002), and
• higher N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels (P< 0.001).

Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that PRA (P= 0.048), and CRP levels (P= 0.006) were independent predictors of 25(OH)D levels.
During follow-up, 155 patients died and 142 patients were rehospitalized.
Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that lower 25(OH)D concentration was associated with an increased risk for the combined endpoint (all-cause mortality and HF rehospitalization; log rank test P= 0.045) and increased risk for all-cause mortality (log rank test P= 0.014).
After adjustment in a multivariable Cox regression analysis, low 25(OH)D concentration remained independently associated with an increased risk for the combined endpoint [hazard ratio (HR) 1.09 per 10 nmol/L decrease; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.16; P= 0.040] and

• all-cause mortality (HR 1.10 per 10 nmol/L decrease; 95% CI 1.00-1.22; P= 0.049).

CONCLUSION:
A low 25(OH)D concentration is associated with a poor prognosis in HF patients.
Activation of the RAS and inflammation may confer the adverse effects of low vitamin D levels.

PMID: 21543375
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See also Vitamin D Life

• All items in Cardiovascular and Vitamin D 429 items
• Overview Cardiovascular and vitamin D
• Increasing vitamin D levels will probably reduce CVD and mortality – June 2011
• Lack of vitamin D associated with many cadiovascular problems – May 2011
• Heart Failure associated with vitamin D deficiency – Feb 2011
• 96 percent of heart failure patients had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – March 2011