Vitamin D supplements reduce depressive symptoms and cardiac events in heart failure patients with moderate to severe depressive symptoms

Eun Kyeung Song, Jia Rong Wu, Debra K. Moser, Seok Min Kang, Terry A. Lennie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Depressive symptoms and vitamin D deficiency predict cardiac events in heart failure patients, but whether vitamin D supplements are associated with depressive symptoms and cardiac events in heart failure patients remains unknown. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the association of vitamin D supplement use with depressive symptoms and cardiac events in heart failure patients with mild or moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Methods: A total of 177 heart failure patients with depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥5) completed a three-day food diary to determine dietary vitamin D deficiency. Patients were split into four groups by dietary vitamin D adequacy versus deficiency and vitamin D supplement use versus non-use. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to reassess depressive symptoms at six months. Data on cardiac events for up to one year and vitamin D supplement use were obtained from patient interview and medical record review. Hierarchical linear and Cox regressions were used for data analysis. Results: Sixty-six patients (37.3%) had dietary vitamin D deficiency and 80 (45.2%) used vitamin D supplements. In patients with moderate to severe depressive symptoms, the group with dietary vitamin D deficiency and no supplements had the highest Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score at six months (β=0.542, p<0.001) and shortest cardiac event-free survival (p<0.001) among the four groups, the group with dietary vitamin D deficiency and no supplements didn’t have the highest Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score at six months and shortest cardiac event-free survival in patients with mild depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Vitamin D supplements predicted lower depressive symptoms and reduced cardiac events for patients with moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher risk of shorter cardiac event-free survival in heart failure patients regardless of vitamin D supplementation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)207-216
Number of pages10
JournalEuropean Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
Volume17
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by a grant, NRF-2015R1D1A1A01059392 from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, © The European Society of Cardiology 2017.

Keywords

  • Heart failure
  • depression
  • supplement
  • survival
  • vitamin D

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Medical–Surgical
  • Advanced and Specialized Nursing

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