Slow Coronary Flow and the Serum Vitamin D Level

Background: Several studies have demonstrated an association between vitamin D deficiency and cardiovascular diseases. Slow coronary flow (SCF) is a phenomenon in coronary angiography defined as the slow (delayed) opacification of the epicardial coronary arteries with contrast agents in the absence of coronary obstruction. We sought to evaluate the level of vitamin D in SCF patients against normal coronary conditions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 164 patients admitted for elective coronary angiography. For 15 months, from among these patients, 82 patients with SCF and 82 patients with normal coronary arteries or mild coronary artery disease (CAD) who were matched for age and gender were selected and vitamin D levels were measured accordingly. Results: The mean age of the patients was 56 years in the normal coronary group and 54 years in the SCF group. The mean level of vitamin D was 23.84 ng/mL in the normal coronary group and 24.29 ng/mL in the SCF group. Vitamin D deficiency was observed in 44.4% of the patients in the normal coronary group and 41.2% of the patients in the SCF group. The Mann–Whitney U test showed no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of vitamin D levels (P = 0.96). Conclusions: The level of vitamin D was not significantly different between our 2 groups of patients with SCF and with normal coronary arteries (or mild CAD).