title: The relationship between vitamin D levels and saphenous vein graft patency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A growing body of evidence supports an association between vitamin D and cardiovascular diseases. Coronary artery bypass grafting surgery is a treatment modality for suitable patients with coronary artery disease; however, patency rates of saphenous vein grafts (SVGs) are low. In this study we aimed to determine the association between vitamin D levels and the SVG disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included 180 patients who had undergone a primary coronary artery bypass grafting surgery with at least one SVG and later had a control angiography because of clinical indications. Patients were divided into two groups: 100 patients with SVG disease and 80 of them with patent SVG.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of 180 patients was 57.4±8.8 years, and 64.4% of the study population were men. The total number of SVGs was 364, and the mean number of SVGs to each patient was 2.02±0.61. Vitamin D levels were higher in the patent SVG group than in the SVG disease group (36.2±10.7 and 21.1±10.4, respectively; P<0.001). C-reactive protein levels were significantly higher in the SVG disease group (8.3 vs. 6.5 mg/dl, P=0.001). In a multivariate regression analysis, current smoking, diabetes mellitus, target artery diameter less than 1.5 mm, bypass time duration, and vitamin D levels remained as independent factors associated with SVG disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower vitamin D levels are associated with occlusion of SVGs in patients with coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: aCardiology Clinic, Turkey Yuksek Ihtisas Education and Research Hospital, Ankara bCardiology Clinic, Adana Numune Education and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Samet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Kevser G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Balci
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gül
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Çay
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Topaloglu
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydogdu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation*; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; D002097:C-Reactive Protein