The Pathogenesis of Cardiac Arrhythmias in Vitamin D Deficiency
Maria Bârsan, Anca Monica Brata, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Dinu Iuliu Dumitraşcu, Andrei-Vlad Bădulescu, Traian Adrian Duse, Stefana Dascalescu, Stefan‐Lucian Popa, Simona Grad, Lucian Mureşan, Carmen Maria Maerescu, Gabriel Cismaru, Vlad Dumitru Brata
Abstract
The global prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is more than 20%, and the main causes include insufficient intake, reduced absorption, abnormal metabolism, or resistance to its effects. The levels of serum vitamin D appear to influence cardiovascular risk, and the mechanism involved is linked to the transient outward current and the ultrarapid delayed rectifier K+ current densities, activated through the nuclear vitamin D receptor and Akt pathway. A significant number of studies have correlated vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. For this reason, the purpose of this review is to analyze the relation between vitamin D deficiency and the pathogenesis of cardiac arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation, increased QT interval, and QT dispersion were the most common findings associated with vitamin D deficiency. Due to the heterogeneity among existing studies, further research is necessary to confirm the existing data and to analyze its relationship with other types of arrhythmias.