title: Vitamin D deficiency may be an independent risk factor for arterial disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the vitamin D status in patients with occlusive or aneurysmatic arterial disease in relation to clinical cardiovascular risk profiles and markers of atherosclerotic disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 490 patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD, n = 254) or aortic aneurysm (n = 236). Cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), ankle-brachial index (ABI), serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and vitamin D were assessed. Patients were categorised into severely (≤25 nmol l(-1)) or moderately (26-50 nmol l(-1)) vitamin D deficient, vitamin D insufficient (51-75 nmol l(-1)) or vitamin D sufficient (>75 nmol l(-1)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 45% of patients suffered from moderate or severe vitamin D deficiency. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was similar in patients with PAD and those with an aortic aneurysm. Low levels of vitamin D were associated with congestive heart failure and cerebrovascular disease. Adjusting for clinical cardiovascular risk factors, multivariable regression analyses showed that low vitamin D status was associated with higher CIMT (P = 0.001), lower ABI (P < 0.001) and higher hs-CRP (P = 0.022).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study shows a strong association between low vitamin D status and arterial disease, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and irrespective of the type of vascular disease, that is, occlusive or aneurysmatic disease.
authors: Department of Vascular Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: K M
authors: KM
authors: van de Luijtgaarden
authors: M T
authors: MT
authors: Voûte
authors: S E
authors: SE
authors: Hoeks
authors: E J
authors: EJ
authors: Bakker
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Chonchol
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Stolker
authors: E V
authors: EV
authors: Rouwet
authors: H J M
authors: HJ
authors: Verhagen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014807:Vitamin D; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D