Association of serum calcium concentrations with fibrinogen and homocysteine in nondiabetic Korean subjects.
Considerable evidence shows that increased serum calcium levels are associated with metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, and increased mortality. This study investigated whether serum calcium, within a normal range, is significantly associated with serum fibrinogen and homocysteine, markers of increased cardiovascular disease risk in nondiabetic Korean subjects.A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 1096 subjects (mean age, 55.1 ± 11.1 years; 36.1% women) undergoing a general health checkup. Serum biochemistry was analyzed including serum albumin-corrected calcium (Cac), insulin resistance (IR, using homeostasis model assessment [HOMA]), fibrinogen, and homocysteine.Compared with patients within the lowest Cac quartile, those with higher Cac levels had increased fibrinogen and homocysteine levels as well as an increased proportion of smoking, dyslipidemia, and HOMA-IR. Correlation analyses revealed linear relationships for Cac with fibrinogen and homocysteine in both genders. After adjustment for confounding factors, serum Cac was significantly associated with high fibrinogen (odds ratio [OR] for the highest vs the lowest quartile = 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-2.83, P = 0.02) and homocysteine (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.07-3.11, P = 0.027). Multivariate regression models showed that Cac was linearly associated with fibrinogen (standardized β = 0.14, P < 0.001) and homocysteine (standardized β = 0.07, P = 0.009).High normal calcium concentrations were independently associated with increased levels of fibrinogen and homocysteine. Further investigation is needed to validate whether slightly increased calcium levels within the normal range indicate a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea Health Promotion Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea Division of Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Hyun Sun
HS
Cho
Sung Won
SW
Lee
Juyoung
J
Shin
Sung Dae
SD
Moon
Je Ho
JH
Han
Bong Yun
BY
Cha
Eun Sook
ES
Kim
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D015415:Biomarkers; D006710:Homocysteine; D002118:Calcium