title: Postmenopausal women with carotid atherosclerosis: potential role of the serum calcium levels.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies on the association between serum calcium levels and cardiovascular diseases suggested a causative role for hypercalcemia but other studies showed that even serum calcium levels within normal range could be involved in atherosclerosis. However, while dietary calcium intake does not seem to be related to adverse cardiovascular effects, the association between calcium supplementation and the cardiovascular events has not been fully proven. Our aim was to determine the relation between serum calcium levels, within normal range, and the presence of carotid atherosclerosis in a population in whom investigations on this topic are lacking, the postmenopausal women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this retrospective study, participants were recruited from women aged 49-65 years who underwent an ultrasonography evaluation of the carotid arteries between years 2008-2012. The study included 413 subjects with serum calcium level available, without symptomatic cardiovascular disease. A physical examination, including the evaluation of body mass index, waist and hip circumferences and the blood pressure, as well as, a collection of a venous blood sample was performed. The mean age was 56 ± 7 years. The prevalence of the carotid atherosclerosis was 50.8%. The comparison between women with and without carotid atherosclerosis showed differences for the classical risk factors and for serum calcium levels (p = 0.001). The logistic regression analysis, adjusting for these risk factors, confirmed the association between serum calcium levels and carotid atherosclerosis (p = 0.011). Furthermore, we showed an increasing prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis from lower to higher calcium quartiles (p = 0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a positive relation between serum calcium levels and the carotid atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women. This study may suggest a redetermination of the reference range of calcemia, at least in menopause.
authors: Clinical Nutrition Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro, Viale S. Venuta, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy. Electronic address: tmontalcini@unicz.it.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Montalcini
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Terracciano
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Romeo
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Foti
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Gulletta
authors: F S
authors: FS
authors: Costanzo
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Pujia
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Calcium; Menopause; Nutrition