The Affects of Long-term Oral Vitamin D Treatment on Abdominal Aortic Calcification and Vertebral Bone Mineral Content in the Elderly Patients with Osteoporosis

We investigated the affects of long-term oral vitamin D treatment on aortic wall and vetebral bone in the elderly patients with osteoporosis by computed tomography. We calculated the aortic calcification index (ACI) of calcification volume to aortic volume wuthin 10 slices in the lower abdominal aorta, and measured the bone mineral content (BMC) of three lumbar vertebral bodies (the 2nd, 3rd, 4th) using a calibration phantom. We compared the ACIs and BMCs between 15 patients under no vitamin D therapy (10 men, 5 women, 79±7 yrs)(Group-Ⅰ) and 17 patients with osteoporosis under vitamin D therapy (4 men, 13 women, 75±6 yrs)(Group-Ⅱ). The patients in Group-Ⅱ received vitamin D everyday to sum up the duration into 849±333 days and the dosage into 604±323μg. ACI slightly increased from 9.2±7.2 to 11.0±8.5% in Group-Ⅰ(NS), and similarly increased from 9.3±10.6 to 12.2±12.9% in Group-Ⅱ(NS). Percent change of ACI was higher in Group-Ⅱ(58±73%) than in Group-Ⅰ(32±52%)(NS). BMC slightly decreased from 63.2±40.6 to 62.4±45.4mg/ｃ? in Group-Ⅰ(NS), but increased a little from 57.8±51.4 to 63.3±44.6mg/ｃ? in Group-Ⅱ(NS). These results suggest that there is a tendency to increase in both aortic calcification and bone mineral content under an event small dosage but long-term treatment of oral vitamin D.

Abdominal aortic calcification

Vitamin D

Atherosclerosis

Osteoporosis

Bone mineral content