Vitamin D Status in AMI Patients: Correlation with Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Abstract

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a leading cause of illness and death around the world. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the development of atherosclerosis through various mechanisms such as vascular inflammation, problems with blood vessel function, foam cell formation, and the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Therefore, this case-control study aimed to compare serum Vitamin D levels in AMI patients with and without risk factors such as hypertension (HTN), diabetes, smoking, and high cholesterol. The study included 100 subjects: 50 healthy volunteers as controls (Group 1) and 50 patients diagnosed with AMI according to WHO criteria (Group 2). Group 2 was further divided based on the presence of risk factors, and patients were categorized according to Vitamin D status as deficient (≤20 ng/mL) or insufficient/sufficient (>20 ng/mL). Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism version 8.2.1. Mean serum Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in AMI patients (13.03 ± 8.45 ng/mL) compared to controls (35.82 ± 3.50 ng/mL). Among AMI patients, Vitamin D levels were lowest in those with diabetes (11.53 ± 6.71 ng/mL), followed by smokers (13.19 ± 8.09 ng/mL), patients with high cholesterol (13.28 ± 8.59 ng/mL), and those with hypertension (14.31 ± 9.61 ng/mL). Low serum Vitamin D levels are closely linked to AMI, especially in patients with common cardiovascular risk factors. Vitamin D deficiency may worsen atherosclerosis by promoting problems with blood vessel function, increasing VSMC growth, migration and calcification, and driving inflammatory and immune-related processes.