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Key Points
- The concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D is not independently associated with left ventricular hypertrophy.
- The finding surprised investigators.
- Investigators believe the ethnic make-up of the study population enhanced the study’s credibility.
The concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) is not independently associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), researchers have concluded.
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Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease and death. It promotes LVH in animal models, suggesting the LVH is one mechanism by which vitamin D deficiency may increase cardiovascular risk, explained Abigail Shoben, a graduate student in biostatistics at the University of Washington in Seattle.
“We found after the study that once you took body mass into account, it extinguished the possibility of [LVH] being a mechanism,” she said.
The prevalence ratio of LVH for each 10 ng/mL reduction in 25-OHD concentration was 1.14 after adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, renal function, and other potential confounders.
Shoben said her team was surprised by the finding. “We expected some correlation, but the study gives a strong degree of confidence because of the size of the study and its makeup.”
Shoben said she believes the ethnic makeup of the study population (41% Caucasian, 25% African American, 15% Chinese, and 19% Hispanic) enhanced the study’s credibility.
