Role of vitamin D in arterial hypertension.

Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2010 Nov;8(11):1599-608.
Pilz S, Tomaschitz A.
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medical University of Graz, Austria.

Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent and may contribute to arterial hypertension. The antihypertensive effects of vitamin D include suppression of renin and parathyroid hormone levels and renoprotective, anti-inflammatory and vasculoprotective properties.

Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, which are used to classify the vitamin D status, are an independent risk factor for incident arterial hypertension. Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials showed that vitamin D supplementation reduces systolic blood pressure by 2-6 mmHg. However, further studies are needed before drawing a final conclusion on the effect of vitamin D therapy on blood pressure and cardiovascular risk. In our current clinical practice we should take into account the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, the easy, cheap and safe way by which it can be supplemented and the promising clinical data suggesting that vitamin D might be useful for the treatment of arterial hypertension as well as other chronic diseases. Therefore, we recommend that testing for and treating vitamin D deficiency in patients with arterial hypertension should be seriously considered. PMID: 21090935
- - - - - - - -

See also VitaminDWiki

• Overview Hypertension and Vitamin D
• All items in category Hypertension 165 items
• Faster heart rate and higher systolic blood pressure associated with low vitamin D – Jan 2010