Vitamin D deficiency is associated with coronary artery calcification in cardiovascularly asymptomatic African Americans with HIV infection

OBJECTIVE: Patients with HIV infection are at increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD), and growing evidence suggests a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and clinical/subclinical CAD. However, the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and coronary artery calcification (CAC), a sensitive marker for subclinical CAD, in those with HIV infection is not well investigated. METHODS: CAC was quantified using a Siemens Cardiac 64 scanner, and vitamin D levels and the presence of traditional and novel risk factors for CAD were obtained in 846 HIV-infected African American (AA) participants aged 25 years or older in Baltimore, MD, USA without symptoms or clinical evidence of CAD. RESULTS: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxy vitamin D <10 ng/mL) was 18.7%. CAC was present in 238 (28.1%) of the 846 participants. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the following factors were independently associated with CAC: age (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08–1.14); male sex (adjusted OR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.18–2.49); family history of CAD (adjusted OR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.05–2.23); total cholesterol (adjusted OR: 1.006; 95% CI: 1.002–1.010); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (adjusted OR: 0.989; 95% CI: 0.979–0.999); years of cocaine use (adjusted OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.001–1.04); duration of exposure to protease inhibitors (adjusted OR: 1.004; 95% CI: 1.001–1.007); and vitamin D deficiency (adjusted OR: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.31–3.00). CONCLUSION: Both vitamin D deficiency and CAC are prevalent in AAs with HIV infection. In order to reduce the risk for CAD in HIV-infected AAs, vitamin D levels should be closely monitored. These data also suggest that clinical trials should be conducted to examine whether vitamin D supplementations reduce the risk of CAD in this AA population.