Vitamin D and Vulnerable Carotid Plaque

Fellows’ Journal Club

Angiotensin II stimulates intraplaque hemorrhage in animal models, and the angiotensin system is highly regulated by vitamin D. The authors’ purpose was to determine whether low vitamin D levels predict carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH). In this cross-sectional study, 65 patients with carotid disease underwent carotid MR imaging and blood draw. Systemic clinical confounders and local lumen imaging markers were recorded. They performed multivariable Poisson regression by using generalized estimating equations to account for up to 2 carotid arteries per patient and backward elimination of confounders. The authors found that low vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL) were a significant predictor of MRI-detected IPH, along with plaque thickness. They conclude that vitamin D insufficiency was associated with both the presence and volume of carotid IPH in patients with carotid atherosclerosis and that these results link low vitamin D levels with plaque vulnerability.

Abstract

Figure 5 from text
Vitamin D supplementation and follow-up. A, Patient 1: Baseline (upper arrow) versus 1-year follow-up (lower arrow) with vitamin D supplementation and medical therapy, including statins and antiplatelet and antihypertensive medications, demonstrates decreased IPH volume in a patient with no interval stroke (vitamin D baseline/1 year: 18.1/26.8 ng/mL; carotid IPH baseline/1 year: 0.151/0.115 cm3, or 24.1% decreased IPH volume). The patient remained asymptomatic in the year between the 2 scans. B, Patient 2: Baseline (upper arrow) versus 1-year follow-up (lower arrow) without vitamin D supplementation but with medical therapy, including statins and antiplatelet and antihypertensive medications, demonstrates minimally changed IPH volume (vitamin D baseline/1 year: 20.9/10.7 ng/mL; carotid IPH baseline/1 year: 1.041/0.996 cm3, or 4.3% decreased IPH volume). In addition, this patient had bilateral strokes in the year between the 2 scans.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

MR imaging–detected carotid intraplaque hemorrhage indicates vulnerable plaque with high stroke risk. Angiotensin II stimulates intraplaque hemorrhage in animal models, and the angiotensin system is highly regulated by vitamin D. Our purpose was to determine whether low vitamin D levels predict carotid intraplaque hemorrhage in humans.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 65 patients with carotid disease underwent carotid MR imaging and blood draw. Systemic clinical confounders and local lumen imaging markers were recorded. To determine the association of low vitamin D levels with MR imaging detected intraplaque hemorrhage, we performed multivariable Poisson regression by using generalized estimating equations to account for up to 2 carotid arteries per patient and backward elimination of confounders. MR imaging detected intraplaque hemorrhage volume was also correlated with vitamin D levels and maximum plaque thickness. Thirty-five patients underwent carotid endarterectomy, and histology-detected intraplaque hemorrhage was correlated with vitamin D levels and total plaque area.

RESULTS

Low vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL, prevalence ratio = 2.05, P = .03) were a significant predictor of MR imaging detected intraplaque hemorrhage, along with plaque thickness (prevalence ratio = 1.40, P < .001). MR imaging detected intraplaque hemorrhage volume linearly correlated with plaque thickness (partial r = 0.45, P < .001) and low vitamin D levels (partial r = 0.26, P = .003). Additionally, histology-detected intraplaque hemorrhage area linearly correlated with plaque area (partial r = 0.46, P < .001) and low vitamin D levels (partial r = 0.22, P = .03). The association of intraplaque hemorrhage volume with low vitamin D levels was also higher with ischemic stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Low vitamin D levels and plaque thickness predict carotid intraplaque hemorrhage and outperform lumen markers of vulnerable plaque. This research demonstrates a significant link between low vitamin D levels and carotid intraplaque hemorrhage.

 

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Vitamin D and Vulnerable Carotid Plaque
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Jeffrey Ross
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