ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FRAILTY AND VITAMIN D LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Highlights

• In the era of rapid population aging, frailty has become one of the most significant public health concerns because of the increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as functional decline, greater medical resource utilization, and higher mortality rates.
• Deficiency of total vitamin D (25-OH) is a common condition that may be one of the potential modifiable risk factors for the development of frailty among the elderly population.

Aim. The work aimed to examine the association between the severity of frailty and serum total vitamin D (25-OH) levels in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods. A single-center cohort study included 174 patients with CAD who were admitted for elective PCI. The mean age was 67.38 ± 8.31 years; 61.5% patients were male. The Age No Hindrance questionnaire was used to screen for prefrailty and frailty (≤ 2 points: no frailty, 3–4 points: prefrailty, 5–7 points: frailty). Total vitamin D (25-OH) levels were assessed by enzyme immunoassay.

Results. The incidence of prefrailty and frailty in patients with CAD according to Age No Hindrance scores was 38.0% (n = 66) and 8.6% (n = 15) respectively. Given the low incidence of frailty in the study sample, patients with prefrailty and frailty comprised a single group (46.6%, n = 81). Frailty was significantly more likely in older women with CAD before elective PCI. Frailty in patients with CAD was associated with significantly lower serum total vitamin D (25-OH) levels compared to non-frail patients (20.02 ± 7.36 (17.53–22.51) ng/mL vs. 23.91 ± 8.92 (21.02–26.81) ng/mL, р = 0.044). A correlation analysis revealed a moderate association between Age No Hindrance scores and serum total vitamin D (25-OH) levels in (mainly female) patients with stable CAD (ρ = –0.390, p = 0.024).

Conclusions. The study revealed significant associations between the severity of frailty according to Age No Hindrance scores and serum total vitamin D (25-OH) levels in patients with CAD before elective PCI.

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