A new study has revealed that Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of poor brain function after sudden cardiac arrest by seven-fold.
According to lead researcher Jin Wi from Korea, in patients resuscitated after sudden cardiac arrest, recovery of neurological function is very important, as well as survival and Vitamin D deficiency has been reported to be related to the risk of having various cardiovascular diseases, including sudden cardiac arrest.
The researcher said that they investigated the association of vitamin D deficiency with neurologic outcome after sudden cardiac arrest, a topic on which there is no information so far.
Patients with a poor neurological outcome had a significantly lower vitamin D level compared to those with a good neurological outcome. The researchers found that 65 percent of patients with vitamin D deficiency had a poor neurological outcome at 6 months after discharge compared to 23 percent of patients with healthy vitamin D levels. They also found that 29 percent of patients with vitamin D deficiency had died at 6 months compared to none of the patients with good vitamin D levels.
Wi said that patients with vitamin D deficiency were more likely to have a poor neurological outcome or die after sudden cardiac arrest than those who were not deficient. Nearly one-third of the patients who were deficient in vitamin D had died 6 months after their cardiac arrest, whereas all patients with sufficient vitamin D levels were still alive.
Vitamin D deficiency increased the risk of poor neurological outcome after sudden cardiac arrest by 7-fold. The only factors that had a greater impact on poor neurological outcome were the absence of bystander CPR or having a first monitored heart rhythm that was non-shockable.
The researchers added that their findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency should be avoided, especially in people with a high risk of sudden cardiac arrest. People are at higher risk if they have a personal or family history of heart disease including heart rhythm disorders, congenital heart defects and cardiac arrest. Other risk factors for cardiac arrest include smoking, obesity, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and drinking too much alcohol.