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Hypovitaminosis D and cardiovascular outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Vikash Jaiswal1, Angela Ishak2, Song Peng Ang3
1AMA School of Medicine, Makati, Philippines.
Insights
Low vitamin D levels are linked to major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), but not to mortality or specific heart issues. Vitamin D supplementation may offer cardiovascular protection, requiring further research.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Public Health
Background:
- The link between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular disease risk is unclear.
- This is the first comparative meta-analysis examining over 100,000 patients to assess low vitamin D levels and adverse cardiovascular events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between hypovitaminosis D (HVD) and cardiovascular outcomes.
- To compare cardiovascular event rates in individuals with and without vitamin D deficiency.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis of 8 studies involving 426,039 patients.
- Databases searched: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central.
- Outcomes assessed: Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), mortality, myocardial infarction, heart failure.
Main Results:
- Hypovitaminosis D (HVD) was associated with a significantly higher incidence of MACE (OR 1.92).
- No significant association was found between HVD and all-cause mortality (OR 1.77), myocardial infarction (OR 0.69), or heart failure (OR 1.20).
Conclusions:
- Low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of MACE.
- Vitamin D supplementation may have cardioprotective effects, warranting further investigation in clinical trials.
Background:
The relation between blood vitamin D levels and the risk of cardiovascular outcomes is debatable. To our knowledge this is the first comparative meta-analysis of more than 100,000 patients' data with the aim to inspect the relevance of low vitamin D levels with adverse cardiovascular events.
Methods:
Online databases including PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central were queried to compare the cardiovascular outcomes among hypovitaminosis D (HVD) and control group. The outcomes assessed included differences in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), mortality, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Unadjusted odds ratios (OR) were calculated using a random-effect model with a 95% confidence interval (CI) and P less than 0.05 as a statistical significance.
Results:
A total of 8 studies including 426,039 patients were included in this analysis. HVD group was associated with a higher incidence of MACE (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.98, p = 0.003), while there was no significant association of HVD and all-cause mortality (OR 1.77, 95% CI 0.75 to 4.17, p = 0.19), risk of myocardial infarction (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.24, p = 0.22), and heart failure (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.34 to 4.25, p = 0.78).
Conclusions:
This meta-analysis suggested that low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with MACE, but no such difference in all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction or heart failure was observed. Appropriate supplementation of vitamin D in selected populations might be cardioprotective in nature and warrants extensive trials.
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