title: [The role of vitamin D in the development of cardiac failure].
abstract: Congestive heart failure is a chronic disease, whose incidence is especially growing in the subpopulation of elderly people. The majority of these patients have vitamin D levels in the insufficient range. Skin synthesis is the most important vitamin D source for humans. Congestive heart failure patients have relatively low outdoor activities. Consequently, a disease-related sedentary lifestyle is an important cause for the insufficient vitamin D status in patients. However, there is an accumulating body of evidence that vitamin D insufficiency plays a role in the etiology and pathogenesis of congestive heart failure. Vitamin D has direct effect on heart cells and indirect effect on the risk factors of the disease. Four major potential mechanisms may be important to explain the direct effects of vitamin D against congestive heart failure: the effect on myocardial contractile function, the regulation of natriuretic hormone secretion, the effect on extracellular matrix remodelling and the regulation of inflammation cytokines. It has been demonstrated that vitamin D has a high impact on congestive heart failure main risk factors as hypertension, renin-angiotensin system malfunction and atherosclerosis. In spite of the robust preclinical data only few clinical observations prove the positive effect of vitamin D on congestive heart failure.
authors: Semmelweis Egyetem, Altalános Orvostudományi Kar, Kardiológiai Központ, Budapest.
authors: Boglárka
authors: B
authors: Szabó
authors: Béla
authors: B
authors: Merkely
authors: István
authors: I
authors: Takács
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D045283:Natriuretic Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D045283:Natriuretic Agents