Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: A Systematic

Ayesha Saleem1, Suraj S Padakanti2, Mohsin Hajjaj3

  • 1Internal Medicine, Jinnah Hospital Lahore, Lahore, PAK.

Cureus
|August 7, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin D supplementation in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients did not significantly impact cardiovascular events or heart function. Further research is needed to clarify vitamin D

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Nephrology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Conflicting data exist regarding vitamin D's cardiovascular benefits in chronic kidney disease (CKD).
  • Understanding vitamin D's role is crucial for managing cardiovascular risk in CKD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a meta-analysis investigating the effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CKD.
  • To evaluate vitamin D's impact on adverse cardiovascular events, cardiac function (LVEF, LVMI), and blood pressure (SBP, DBP).

Main Methods:

  • Systematic search of major databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • Inclusion of 11 RCTs assessing vitamin D supplementation in CKD patients.
  • Pooled analysis using risk ratios and mean differences for primary and secondary outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Vitamin D supplementation showed a significant reduction in adverse cardiovascular events (RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.69).
  • No significant differences were observed in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), or diastolic blood pressure (DBP).

Conclusions:

  • Current evidence suggests vitamin D supplementation does not significantly affect cardiovascular events, cardiac function, or blood pressure in CKD patients.
  • Further large-scale RCTs and mechanistic studies are required to elucidate the precise role of vitamin D in this population.

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