Association of parathyroid hormone and 25-OH-vitamin d levels with arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with vitamin D insufficiency

Abstract

Aim: Vitamin D insufficiency and increased parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels have been suggested as prognostic indices for cardiovascular disease. Arterial stiffness, a surrogate marker for cardiovascular disease, is often increased in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. PTH levels increase in patients with low 25-OH-vitamin D levels, but the influence of such an increase on arterial stiffness has not been investigated in postmenopausal women with reduced 25-OH-vitamin D levels. We therefore investigated the association between PTH and aortic stiffness in postmenopausal women with reduced 25-OH-vitamin D levels. Methods: One hundred fifty postmenopausal women with 25-OH-vitamin D insufficiency ( <0.001). Arterial stiffness was predicted by logarithmically transformed PTH levels (β= 0.23, p= 0.007), independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and factors involved in bone formation. Increased PTH levels (>62 pg/ mL) were associated with a 3.0-5.4-fold increased probability of having a mild-severe increase in aortic stiffness, irrespective of confounders. Conclusion: Among postmenopausal women with reduced 25-OH-vitamin D levels, elevated PTH levels were a significant predictor of aortic stiffness, irrespective of cardiovascular risk factors and of factors involved in bone formation. PTH accounted for the association between 25-OH-vitamin D levels and aortic stiffness.