Determinants of vitamin D activation in patients with acute coronary syndromes and its correlation with inflammatory markers
Arraa Maddalena Saghir Afifeh, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases September 23, 2020
Highlights
• Vitamin D deficiency is a pandemic disorder affecting over 1 billion of subjects worldwide and displaying a broad spectrum of implications on cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders.
• However, vitamin D supplementation as a preventive measure is still underapplied on a large-scale basis, since controversies exist on its potential clinical benefits and in absence of proven pathophysiological mechanisms and pharmacological targets, and especially for the anti-inflammatory effects. Impaired vitamin D activation into calcitriol should certainly be called into question.
• We demonstrated in a large cohort of patients with acute coronary syndromes that calcitriol deficiency is frequent and can occur even among patients with adequate vitamin D levels. We identified renal failure and vitamin D levels as independent predictors of 1,25(OH)2D deficiency and a significant inverse relationship of calcitriol with inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers, therefore pointing at a potential more relevant and accurate role of calcitriol, as compared to vitamin D in the prediction of cardiovascular risk. Future trials should certainly investigate the potential role of acute calcitriol administration in the setting of acute coronary syndromes as much as in other inflammatory disorders, including the most recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
Vitamin D deficiency is a pandemic disorder affecting over 1 billion of subjects worldwide. Calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D) represents the perpetrator of the several systemic effects of vitamin D, including the anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and anti-atherosclerotic action potentially preventing acute cardiovascular ischemic events. Variability in the transformation of vitamin D into 1,25(OH)2D has been suggested to modulate its cardioprotective benefits, however, the determinants of the levels of calcitriol and their impact on the cardiovascular risk have been seldom addressed and were therefore the aim of the present study.
Methods
A consecutive cohort of patients undergoing coronary angiography for acute coronary syndrome(ACS) were included. The levels of 25 and 1,25(OH)2 D were assessed at admission by chemiluminescence immunoassay kit LIAISON® Vitamin D assay (Diasorin Inc) and LIAISON® XL. Hypovitaminosis D was defined as 25(OH)D < 10 ng/ml, whereas Calcitriol deficiency as 1,25(OH)2D < 19.9 pg/ml.
Results
We included in our study 228 patients, divided according to median values of 1,25(OH)2D (<or ≥ 41.5pg/ml). Lower calcitriol was associated to age (p=0.005), diabetes (p=0.013), renal failure (p<0.0001), use of diuretics (p=0.007), platelets (p=0.019), WBC (p=0.032), 25(0H)D (p=0,046), higher creatinine (p=0.011), and worse glycaemic and lipid profile.
A total of 53 patients (23.2%) had hypovitaminosis D, whereas 19 (9.1%) displayed calcitriol deficiency (15.1% among patients with hypovitaminosis D and 7.1% among patients with normal Vitamin D levels, p=0.09).
The independent predictors of 1,25(OH)2D above the median were renal failure (OR[95%CI]=0.242[0.095-0.617], p=0.003) and level of vitamin D (OR[95%CI]=1.057[1.018-1.098], p=0.004).
Calcitriol levels, in fact, directly related with the levels of vitamin D (r=0.175, p=0.035), whereas an inverse linear relationship was observed with major inflammatory and metabolic markers of cardiovascular risk (C-reactive protein: r=-0.14, p=0.076; uric acid: r=-0.18, p=0.014; homocysteine: r=-0.19, p=0.007; fibrinogen: r=-0.138, p=0.05) and Lp-PLA2 (r=-0.167, p=0.037), but not for leukocytes.
Conclusion
The present study shows that among ACS patients, calcitriol deficiency is frequent and can occur even among patients with adequate vitamin D levels. We identified renal failure and vitamin D levels as independent predictors of 1,25(OH)2D deficiency. Furthermore, we found a significant inverse relationship of calcitriol with inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers, suggesting a potential more relevant and accurate role of calcitriol, as compared to cholecalciferol, in the prediction of cardiovascular risk. Future trials should certainly investigate the potential role of calcitriol administration in the setting of acute coronary syndromes as much as in other inflammatory disorders, such as the SARS-CoV2 infection.