Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and carotid atherosclerosis in chronic kidney disease patients

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular diseases. However, this does not infer a causal relationship between the two. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and carotid atherosclerosis. Therefore, in this study we have aimed to determine the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and carotid atherosclerosis in the CKD population. METHODS: 100 CKD stage 3–4 patients were included in the study. Direct chemiluminesent immunoassay was used to determine the level of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. All subjects underwent a carotid ultrasound to measure common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) and to assess the presence of carotid plaques or significant stenosis (≥50 %). Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 25 nmol/L. Abnormal CCA-IMT was defined as CCA-IMT ≥ 0.8 mm. Plaque was defined as a focal structure that encroaches into the arterial lumen of ≥ 0.5 mm or 50 % of the surrounding IMT value. Significant stenosis was defined as peak-systolic velocities ≥ 125 cm/s and end-diastolic velocities ≥ 40 cm/s. RESULTS: The vitamin D deficiency and non-deficiency groups did not differ significantly in terms of abnormal CCA-IMT (P = 0.443), carotid plaque (P = 0.349), and carotid stenosis (P = 0.554). No significant correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and CCA-IMT (P = 0.693) was found. On a backward multiple linear regression model, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels was not associated with CCA-IMT, abnormal CCA-IMT, or plaque presence. CONCLUSIONS: No important association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin levels and carotid atherosclerosis was found in CKD patients.