Vitamin D deficiency and angina: is your heart health at risk?

This study investigated if vitamin D levels are associated with angina. They found that low vitamin D deficiency (VitD) was associated with angina.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) describes a number of conditions that affect the heart and circulation. In CAD, patients experience reduced blood flow to the heart. One symptom of this is angina. Angina is pain caused by a lack of blood supply. This is caused by blockages in the coronary arteries. Patients with stable angina are likely to develop unstable angina. They are also more likely to have heart attacks or die due to CAD. 

Vitamin D is a important for overall good health. Some of the effects of vitamin D are not fully understood. Recent evidence suggests that low vitamin D (VitD) is more common in patients with CAD. It is unclear if low VitD is associated with CAD symptoms such as angina. 

This study included 42 patients with stable angina and 42 patients without CAD (controls). Patients underwent assessment for a number of clinical aspects. These included blood pressure and weight measurements. A blood sample was collected from each patient. Vitamin D levels were measured in the blood sample using a laboratory test kit. Low VitD was defined as less than 20ng/ml.

Significantly more patients with angina compared to controls had low VitD. 78.6% of patients with angina had low VitD. 7.1% of control patients had low VitD. Hypertension (high blood pressure) and vitamin D levels were reliable indicators of chronic angina.

The authors concluded that low VitD may be a risk factor for angina.

This study recruited a small number of patients. The study did not take into account any medication the patients may have been taking. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings. 

If you have any concerns regarding CAD and vitamin D levels, please discuss this with your doctor.