title: Serum concentration of calcium, 1,25 vitamin D and parathyroid hormone are not correlated with coronary calcifications. An electron beam computed tomography study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The amount of coronary artery calcification, measured using electron beam computed tomography, is correlated with the volume of coronary artery atherosclerotic plaque, the severity of stenosis by angiography, and with the likelihood of future cardiovascular events. The deposition of calcium in atherosclerotic plaques may also be influenced by determinants of calcium metabolism, thus contributing to the variance of the relation between coronary artery calcification and extent of atherosclerosis. Our objective was to determine whether this variance could be explained by differences in the parameters of calcium metabolism.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured serum concentrations of calcium, 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in 50 subjects undergoing angiography for clinical indications, and evaluated the correlations between these concentrations and calcium deposition in the coronary arteries, and the ratio of calcium deposition to extent of atherosclerosis using coronary angiography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum concentrations of calcium 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D and PTH were not correlated with coronary calcification or the ratio of coronary calcification to the extent of coronary stenosis. We conclude that, in subjects undergoing coronary angiography, the variance of the relationship between coronary atherosclerosis and coronary calcium is not a result of differences in serum concentrations of calcium, 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D or PTH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Cardiology, St Francis Hospital, Roslyn, New York 11576, USA. yadon@earthlink.net
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arad
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Spadaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scordo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Newstein
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Guerci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000097:blood*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D002117:Calcitriol; D002118:Calcium