Severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with endothelial inflammation in healthy individuals even in the absence of subclinical atherosclerosis

M. Kose, N. Senkal, T. Tukek, T. Cebeci, S.C. Atalar, M. Altinkaynak, H. Arici, S. Genc, Y. Catma, M. Kocaaga, A. Medetalibeyoglu, S. Emet

Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. samim03@hotmail.com

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• Cardiology
• Vascular Medicine

OBJECTIVE: Vitamin D has beneficial effects, some of which involve the cardiovascular system. No study to date has investigated the association between serum endocan levels, as a biomarker of endothelial inflammation, and vitamin D levels in the absence of subclinical atherosclerosis detected by carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in healthy individuals.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Subjects were categorized into three groups based on vitamin D levels according to Endocrine Society guidelines. Mean CIMT was calculated from six measurements on two scans. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, and all testing was two-sided.

RESULTS: The concentration of serum endocan was 802.8 ± 411.4 ng/L in the group with the lowest serum vitamin D level, 454.8 ± 334.3 ng/L in the mild/moderately low serum vitamin D level group, and 269.4 ± 180.2 ng/L in the group with normal serum vitamin D levels (p < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis revealed that a serum vitamin D concentration of 7.5 ng/mL had a 97% sensitivity and 81% specificity for the prediction of serum endocan level greater than 270 ng/L, which could be an indicator for endothelial inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS: Demonstrating that vitamin D deficiency can cause endothelial damage in the early period of atherosclerosis without the development of clinical cardiovascular disease will have a pivotal role in the prevention of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.

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