Could decreased vitamin D levels be related with impaired cardiac autonomic functions in patients with chronic heart failure: an observational study

• Published in: Anadolu kardiyoloji dergisi : AKD 2014-08, Vol.14 (5), p.434-441
• Main Authors: Cetin, Metin, Kozdağ, Güliz, Ural, Dilek, Kahraman, Göksel, Yılmaz, Irem, Akay, Yaşar, Onuk, Raşit, Dursun, Nigar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autonomic Nervous System - physiopathology; Calcitriol - blood; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - blood; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated - physiopathology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Heart Conduction System; Heart Failure - blood; Heart Failure - physiopathology; Humans; Male; Myocardial Ischemia - blood; Myocardial Ischemia - physiopathology; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1302-8723; 2149-2263; 1308-0032; 2149-2271
• DOI: 10.5152/akd.2014.4869

Vitamin D status has been implicated in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between vitamin D levels with heart rate variability and heart rate turbulence in patients with heart failure whom had ischemic and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Study designed as an observational cross-sectional study. Seventy-one patients [36 non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM), 35 ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM)] with chronic heart failure and 25 control subject were included. It was evaluated the association between 25 hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and calcitriol levels with heart rate variability time domain (SDNN, SDANN, RMSSD) and heart rate turbulence [turbulence onset (TO), turbulence slope (TS)] parameters. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis test and ANOVA. Calcitriol levels in NIDCM patients with abnormal TO and TS were significantly lower than NIDCM patients with normal TO (17.1 ± 11.3 vs. 27.6 ± 15.5 pg/mL, p=0.05) and TS (16.6 ± 9.1 vs. 29.4 ± 16.9 pg/mL, p=.018). There was a positive correlation between 25 (OH) D with heart rate variability parameters SDNN (r=0.368, p=0.027) and SDANN (r=0.360, p=0.031). It was not found any association between vitamin D and parameters of heart rate variability and heart rate turbulence in IDCM patients. Insufficiency of vitamin D may have deleterious effects on cardiac autonomic functions which were showed with heart rate turbulence and heart rate variability in patients with NIDCM. Vitamin D levels might be a predictor to determine the sudden cardiac death in patients with non-ischemic etiology.