Higher serum 25(OH)D concentration tied to lower CVD, deaths in CKD

Increased concentrations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) appear to have beneficial effects in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), as indicated by lower risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality, as shown in a prospective study.

Using the UK Biobank, the researchers identified a total of 21,507 CKD patients free of CVD. Participants had a median serum 25(OH)D concentration of 44.0 nmol/L.

The researchers then established the incidences of total and subtypes of CVD and mortality via electronic health records. They also estimated the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) for CVD incidence and mortality using Cox proportional hazard regression models.

After multivariate adjustment, CKD patients with serum 25(OH)D concentration ≥75 nmol/L compared with those with serum 25(OH)D <25 nmol/L had reduced risks for CVD incidence and mortality (total CVD incidence: HR, 0.80, 95 percent CI, 0.71‒0.90; ischaemic heart disease: HR, 0.82, 95 percent CI, 0.69‒0.97; stroke: HR, 0.56, 95 percent CI, 0.43‒0.85; myocardial infarction: HR, 0.64, 95 percent CI, 0.46‒0.88; heart failure: HR, 0.62, 95 percent CI, 0.49‒0.80; CVD mortality: HR, 0.60, 95 percent CI, 0.43‒0.85; and all-cause mortality: HR, 0.62, 95 percent CI, 0.52‒0.74).

Notably, vitamin receptor polymorphisms did not seem to influence these associations. No significant interaction was found.

“These findings highlight the importance of maintaining adequate vitamin D status in the prevention of CVD and mortality in patients with CKD,” the researchers said.