Vitamin D and Zinc Levels in Patients Undergoing Ergometry Test

Hypovitaminosis D is generally defined as 25(OH)D levels of < 20ng/ml, while levels of 21-29ng/ml indicate insufficiency and those above 30ng/ml are regarded as sufficient.

The rational behind the observations associating vitamin D deficiency with CVD is that on the one hand, hypovitaminosis D was found to be associated with traditional risk factors such as hypertension (HTN),diabetes mellitus (dm),obesity, dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome , on the other hand, experimental data demonstrated that vitamin D could affect cardiac muscle cells directly, control parathyroid (PTH) hormone secretion, regulate the rennin- angiotensin- aldosterone system and the immune system, all of which could influence cardiovascular risk.

Epidemiological studies further support this association, demonstrating high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among U.S. adults with cardiovascular disease (74%). An association between low vitamin D levels and increased myocardial infarction risk as well as total mortality has been also observed.

Low 25hydroxyvitamin D[ 25(OH)D] levels were also independently associated with all cause and CVD mortality among patients scheduled for coronary catheterization.