Calcium/Vitamin D

Supplementation and

Coronary Artery

CalcificationJournal Club 09/30/2011

Shazia Khan . MD

Introduction

Relationship between calcium and /or vitamin D supplementation and CVD remains controversial .

Recent studies have produced conflicting results.

Women’s Health Initiative 2 and other clinical trials (RECORD , et al Prince ) have observed no significant relationship .

Emerging evidence suggests that calcium /vit D may have favorable effects on B.P, Glucose tolerance, lipids.

• Coronary artery calcification is a marker of total atheromatous plaque burden and strong predictor of future risk of CVD events.

• Calcified atheroma can be detected and quantified noninvasively by cardiac CT in a standardized and reproducible manner.

• This relationship b/w calcium and CVD in women was assessed in WHI-CACS .

Methods

• 1064 women aged b/w 50-59 yrs .

• Double blinded placebo trial .

• Primary goal was to determine wether CAC burden decreased in CEE treated group.

• But also assessed the association b/w calcium and CVD .

Coronary Artery Calcified Plaque Measurements.

• 20 of 40 WHI clincal centers participated in this substudy.

• Central reading center at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

• Agatston score was calculated on (Tera Recon Inc ) workstation by experienced image analysts.

• Statistical analyses were performed with SAS statistical software version 9 .

• RESULTS

Discussion .