Serum calcium in association with ischemic heart disease: a case-control study in the coronary care unit at Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital Jalab Hassan Raji* College of Medicine, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Iraq *Corresponding Author E-mail: hassan.jallab@qu.edu.iq
Online published on 4 July, 2020. Abstract Background Growing bulk of data inferred from medical literature favors the significant association between serum calcium and vascular disorders. Some of this literature has been collected and analyzed globally in metaanalysis studies. It has been shown that the rate of death is higher with higher serum calcium concentrations. However, some studies have shown that higher calcium levels are associated with other cardiovascular risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, questioning the direct contribution of raised serum calcium as a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders. Aim of the study To compare mean serum calcium between patients with ischemic heart disease and individuals known to be free of ischemic heart disease. Patients and Methods The current study was conducted at Al-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital in Al-Diwaniyah Province, Iraq. The study started on January the 2nd 2018 and ended on June the 15th 2018 and it was designed to be a case-control study. The study group included a total of 40 patients with a diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, 20 patients with unstable angina (UA), and 20 patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Those patients were recruited for the pool of patients admitted to the coronary care unit at the hospital. The control group included 40 individuals who were not known to have ischemic heart disease with comparable age. Results there was significant in mean serum calcium among patients and control subjects (P = 0.021); the serum level of the control group was significantly lower than that of patients with unstable angina and patients with myocardial infarction (P < 0.05), but, the level was not significantly different between patients with unstable angina and patients with myocardial infarction (P > 0.05). Conclusion the significantly higher serum calcium in patients with ischemic heart disease in comparison with individuals lacking ischemic heart disease may be an indicator of a possible role of serum calcium in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease. Top Keywords Serum calcium, ischemic heart disease, Iraq. Top |