Background: The role of mineral metabolism in cardiovascular pathologies has been studied almost exclusively in chronic kidney disease patients. There are no studies that relate mineral metabolism to pulse pressure in healthy populations.
Methods: 692 subjects were initially selected. After applying clinical exclusion criteria, 659 subjects were recruited. Creatinine clearance was then calculated to detect subjects with occult chronic kidney disease. Statistical analysis was applied to the remaining population after excluding subjects with occult chronic kidney disease (n = 466). Pulse pressure, creatinine clearance, calcium, phosphorus, intact parathormone, 25-hydroxivitamin D3 and Bsm I genotype of the vitamin D receptor were determined. Means and frequencies were compared by ANOVA and Chi-square, respectively. Multivariate analysis was applied to the whole population and then to Caucasians, Sub-Saharans, Caucasian men and Caucasian women separately. Pulse pressure (PP) was the dependent variable, and adjustments were made for clinical and laboratory data.
Results: The prevalence of occult chronic kidney disease was 32%. In subjects without kidney disease, phosphorus and vitamin D were independent predictors of elevated PP in Caucasian males whereas Bsm I genotype of the vitamin D was an independent predictor of elevated PP in the Caucasian population in both genders. No covariable showed relationship with PP in Sub-Saharan subjects.
Conclusion: Mineral metabolism influences pulse pressure in Caucasian men.