Abstract
BACKGROUND Several studies have shown an association between vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular risk. Vitamin D status is assessed by determination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in serum. METHODS We assessed the prognostic utility of 25(OH)D in 982 chest-pain patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) from Salta, Northern Argentina. 2-year follow-up data including all-cause mortality, cardiac death and sudden cardiac death were analyzed in quartiles of 25(OH)D, applying univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS There were statistically significant changes in seasonal 25(OH)D levels. At follow-up, 119 patients had died. The mean 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower among patients dying than in long-term survivors, both in the total population and in patients with a troponin T (TnT) release (n = 388). When comparing 25(OH)D in the highest quartile to the lowest quartile in a multivariable Cox regression model for all-cause mortality, the hazard ratio (HR) for cardiac death and sudden cardiac death in the total population was 0.37 (95% CI, 0.19-0.73), p = 0.004, 0.23 (95% CI, 0.08-0.67), p = 0.007, and 0.32 (95% CI, 0.11-0.94), p = 0.038, respectively. In patients with TnT release, the respective HR was 0.24 (95% CI, 0.10-0.54), p = 0.001, 0.18 (95% CI, 0.05-0.60), p = 0.006 and 0.25 (95% CI, 0.07-0.89), p = 0.033. 25(OH)D had no prognostic value in patients with no TnT release. CONCLUSION Vitamin D was shown to be a useful biomarker for prediction of mortality when obtained at admission in chest pain patients with suspected ACS. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01377402.
