Vitamin D should be supplemented more actively in elderly patients with coronary heart disease combined with COPD.

OBJECTIVE: It is not clear whether vitamin D should be actively supplemented in elderly patients suffering from an acute attack of COPD (AECOPD) and coronary heart disease (CHD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients were divided into three groups according to specific criteria: patients with AECOPD (group A), patients with COPD combined with CHD (group B), and patients with CHD (group C). We measured the levels of vitamin D and analyzed the correlation between vitamin D and important electrolytes, including prealbumin, creatinine, hemoglobin, cystatin C, blood fat, blood calcium, and blood magnesium, and the nutrition state of the whole body. The serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) was measured using an ELISA kit.

RESULTS: The vitamin D level in group B was the lowest, followed by group A. When compared with group C, they all had statistical significance (P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference between groups A and B. There was no difference among the three groups when prealbumin, creatinine, hemoglobin, cystatin C, blood fat, blood calcium, and blood magnesium were compared. The level of BNP in the three groups increased, but it had no obvious correlation with the level of vitamin D (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: When elderly patients have coronary artery disease with AECOPD, vitamin D levels were obviously lower and were negatively correlated with the BNP. Low vitamin D levels, as well as poor nutrition, affect cardiopulmonary function and quality of living of elderly patients, especially female patients. Therefore, vitamin D should be supplemented more actively in the female patients suffering from AECOPD and CHD.