Association between Serum Vitamin D Level and Echocardiographic Abnormalities in Patients with Thalassemia Major

Objectives: Thalassemia major (TM) is one of the most common blood disorders with a high mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D deficiency has been suggested to implicate in cardiac abnormalities. In this prospective study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between serum levels of vitamin D and tissue Doppler (TD) echocardiographic indices in thalassemia major patients.

Methods: A total of 81 TM patients, including 56 females and 25 males, with a mean age of 27.5± 6.8 years were enrolled consecutively. Serum levels of vitamin D and other biomedical parameters were measured. Then, all patients were subjected to TD echocardiography. Correlations between the serum parameters and systolic and diastolic indices were examined.

Results: The serum level of vitamin D correlated with systolic and diastolic indices such as the EF (r= 0.33, P= 0.003), TD Imaging (TDI)-lateral (r= 0.31, P= 0.005). However, no correlations were observed between vitamin D deficiency and the LV septal and posterior wall thickness, TDI-septal, tricuspid regurgitation peak gradient (TRPG), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), deceleration time (DT), and propagation velocity (PVcm/s) indices. The results revealed also no linear correlations between serum vitamin D and albumin (r= -0.17, P= 0.06), ALP (r= -0.12, P= 0.14), T4 (r= -0.11, P= 0.16), as well as TSH (r= -0.10, P= 0.19).

Conclusions: It seems that vitamin D deficiency in patients with TM is associated with systolic but not diastolic dysfunctions, possibly as consequences of related biochemical abnormalities.

Keywords: Echocardiography; cardiomyopathy.; cardiovascular diseases; pulmonary artery; thalassemia major; vitamin D deficiency.