Does vitamin D deficiency affect ventricular repolarization in the elderly?

Introduction: The aim of the current study is to establish whether vitamin D deficiency interacts with the electrocardiographic indices of abnormal ventricular repolarization in elderly patients. Material and Methods: 138 patients were divided into three groups: patients with vitamin D deficiency, patients with vitamin D insufficiency, and patients with adequate vitamin D levels. 12-lead electrocardiography and laboratory data were collected. Results: The resting heart rate, PR interval, QRS duration, QTd, and Tp-e dispersion were similar among the groups. However, the QTc interval was significantly prolonged in patients with vitamin D deficiency, when compared to patients with sufficient vitamin D levels. Vitamin D level was found as the only independent predictor of the QTc interval. The cut-off value of Vitamin D level determining the significant prolongation of QTc interval was found to be 20 ng/ml on ROC analysis (Area Under Curve: 0,629±0.051 (95% CI: 0,530-0.728, p=0.013). Conclusion: Low vitamin D levels are associated with QTc prolongation in the elderly. Vitamin D-deficient elderly patients may benefit from routine ECG screening. Timely diagnosis and treatment of vitamin D deficiency may aid in reducing the rate of arrhythmias in this patient population.