Low Vitamin D May Raise Hypertension Risk

Vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of hypertension, according to investigators.

A team at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center analyzed data from 2,722 subjects, of whom 24% had hypertension.

Compared with subjects who had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D (D25) level of 40 ng/mL or above, those who had a level below 15 ng/mL had a 2.7 times increased risk of hypertension after adjusting for age, gender, race, and CKD. Subjects with a D25 level of 15-29 ng/mL had a twofold increased risk, and those with a level of 30-39 ng/mL had a 30% greater risk.

The prevalence of hypertension was 52.4%, 40.8%, 27.2%, and 19.4% among subjects with D25 levels below 15, 15-29, 30-39, and 40 or higher, respectively.

Study findings raise the question of whether restoring normal D25 levels in deficient individuals can improve or prevent hypertension, the investigators stated.