title: Vitamin D and the vasculature: can we teach an old drug new tricks?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D is a steroid hormone known for its role in regulating levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D has important autocrine/paracrine roles and it is involved in vascular biology. Clinical studies have shown a relationship between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular health, and low levels of vitamin D metabolites have been associated with higher incidence of congestive heart failure and increases in mortality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To summarise the effect of vitamin D on cardiovascular pathology, the leading cause of death in chronic kidney disease patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All results indicate a potential effect of vitamin D on cardiovascular health. Therefore, maintaining optimum levels of circulating vitamin D is critical for a healthy cardiovascular system. In patients with low vitamin D status, like renal patients, supplementation with vitamin D metabolites has shown beneficial cardiovascular effects.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Arnau de Vilanova, Experimental Nephrology Laboratory, Spain. Valdivielso@medicina.udl.es
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Valdivielso
authors.forename: Blai
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coll
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez
mesh_terms: D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D