Vitamin D concentrations in familial combined hyperlipidemia: effects of lipid lowering treatment

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to several cardiovascular risk factors but information regarding vitamin D concentrations in familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) is lacking. Our objective was to examine vitamin D concentrations in patients with FCHL and to study the effects of lipid-lowering therapy. METHODS: We conducted a cross sectional study on 59 patients with FCHL and 48 healthy controls. We analyzed 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and their association with lipid parameters, anthropometric measures, C-reactive protein and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index. Twenty-three patients with FCHL were also included in a longitudinal study conducted to analyze 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations before and after treatment for dyslipidemia. RESULTS: After adjustment for body mass index and seasonality, patients with FCHL had lower vitamin D concentrations than controls. Adjusted means (standard error of the mean (S.E.M)) for 25(OH)D according to the presence or absence of FCHL were 62.8 (3.6) nmol/L for patients with FCHL and 74.8 (4.1) nmol/L for controls (p = 0.021). In FCHL, hypovitaminosis D was associated with features of atherogenic dyslipidemia. After lipid-lowering therapy, vitamin D concentrations increased (51.0 ± 31.3 to 58.9 ± 24.6 nmol/L (P = 0.022)). However, changes in 25(OH)D concentrations did not correlate with changes in other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that FCHL is associated with decreased vitamin D concentrations and that treatment for dyslipidemia improves vitamin D status through an unknown mechanism. Further studies are needed to replicate these data in larger populations and to elucidate the mechanisms involved in this association.