Long-term outcomes of ischemic post-conditioning primary PCI and conventional primary PCI in acute STEMI: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding ischemic postconditioning during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as compared conventional PCI alone has yielded conflicting results. METHODS: Online databases comparing use of ischemic postconditioning percutaneous coronary intervention (ICP-PPCI) in STEMI patients with conventional PPCI were selected. Mortality, heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction (MI), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were evaluated. The primary outcome was composite of HF, MI, and mortality. Pooled risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were computed using random-effects model. RESULTS: Eight studies consisting of 2,566 patients (ICP-PPCI n = 1,228; PPCI n = 1,278) were included. The mean age for PPCI group was 61.38 ± 7.86 years (51% men) and for PCI 59.83 ± 8.94 years (47% men). There were no differences in outcome between ICP-PPCI and PPCI in terms of HF (RR 0.87 95% CI0.51-1.48; p = 0.29), MI (RR 1.28, 95%CI0.74-2.20; p = 0.20), mortality (RR 0.93, 95%CI0.64-1.34; p = 0.58), and MACE (RR 0.89, 95%CI0.74-1.07; p = 0.22). The results for composite event for the ICP-PPCI and PPIC procedures, at ≥1 year follow-up duration, were comparable (RR 1.00 95%CI0.82-1.22; p = 1). CONCLUSION: Ischemic postconditioning post percutaneous coronary intervention in STEMI patients has no long-term benefits over conventional PCI.

Bioresorbable polymer and durable polymer metallic stents in coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Literature on bioresorbable-polymer-stents (BPS) and second-generation durable-polymer-stents (DPS) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for all comer CAD is conflicting. METHODS: Randomized controlled studies comparing PCI among BPS and second-generation DPS were identified up until May-2020 from online databases.  Primary outcomes included are all-cause myocardial infarction (MI), cardiac-death, target-vessel-revascularization (TVR), target-vessel MI (TVMI), and stent-thrombosis (ST). Random effect method of risk ratio and confidence interval of 95% was used. RESULTS: 25 prospective randomized controlled trials with 31,822 patients (BPS n = 17,065 and DPS n = 14,757) were included in the study. Follow-up ranged between a minimum of 6 months to more than 5 years. Cardiac death (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.89-1.45, p = 0.16) was comparable in BPS and second-generation DPS. Risk of all-cause MI was similar between BPS and DPS (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.84-1.11, p = 0.73). TVMI (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.69-1.11, p = 0.33) and ST rates were also comparable in BPS and DPS groups (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.80-1.40, p = 1.00). Overall TVR had comparable outcomes between BPS and DPS (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.79-1.14, p < 0.001); however, higher TVR was seen among BPS group at follow-up of ≥5 years (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.12-1.14, p = 0.02). Bias was low and heterogeneity was moderate. CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing PCI treated with BPS had comparable outcomes in terms of cardiac death, TVR, ST, TVMI, and all-cause MI to patients treated with second-generation DPS; however, BPS had higher rates of TVR for follow-up of ≥5-years.

Post-PCI outcomes in STEMI patients with coronary ectasia: meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Coronary ectasia (CE) is defined as dilation of the coronary artery, 1.5 times that of the surrounding vessel. Outcomes of percutaneous intervention (PCI) in patients with CE presenting as ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) remain a topic of debate. METHODS: Studies comparing outcomes of PCI in CE versus no-ectasia (NE) STEMI patients were identified. Baseline angiographic characteristics include thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 0-1 flow, right coronary artery (RCA) involvement, and primary outcomes including thrombus aspiration, no-reflow, mortality, and TIMI-3 post-PCI. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. RESULTS: Six studies (n = 5746, CE-340 and NE-5406) qualified for the analysis. RCA involvement was more common in CE than NE, OR-1.39 (95%CI1.06-1.82, p-0.02). Pre-procedure TIMI-0-1 was of comparable results between the groups (p-1.13). Higher thrombus aspiration for CE (OR 2.18, 95%CI1.44-3.32;p-<0.001). CE had higher incidence of no-reflow (OR 4.07, 95%CI2.42-6.84;p-<0.001). TIMI-3 flow post-PCI was achieved less commonly in the CE group (OR-0.64, 95%CI-0.48-0.86;p-<0.001). Mortality on follow-up was comparable (0.83, 95%CI0.39-1.78;p-0.63). Metaregression analysis did not show confounding effects from comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Coronary ectasia patients with STEMI had higher rates of PCI failure and no-reflow than NE; however, mortality during follow-up was comparable.

Drug-Eluting Stents Versus Bare-Metal Stents in Large Coronary Artery Revascularization: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We aim to determine if drug eluting stents (DES) are better than bare-metal stents (BMS) in large coronary artery (diameter ≥ 3 mm) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: DES have become the standard of care for PCI in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the superiority of DES over BMS in large vessel CAD is not clear and previous studies have shown conflicting results. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing outcomes of PCI with BMS and DES for large vessel CAD were identified from the year 2000 to August 2019. The outcomes were studied individually and included all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion revascularization (TLR), and stent thrombosis. Aggregated odds ratio and 95% CI were calculated using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Eight RCTs were included (4 with data for first-generation DES, 3 with data for second-generation DES, and 1 with data for both first- and second-generation DES). Compared to BMS, second generation DES had a significantly lower rate of all-cause mortality (2.4% vs. 3.9%, OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56-0.98, P 0.04), TLR (3.5% vs. 8.6% OR 0.38 95% CI 0.28-0.53, P < 0.001), and MI (2.1% vs. 2.9% OR 0.73 95% CI 0.53-1.0, P 0.05). The difference in all-cause mortality was not seen with first-generation DES. CONCLUSION: Newer DES are associated with a lower mortality, TLR, and MI and thus should be preferred over BMS for large coronary artery PCI.

Medical therapy vs early revascularization in diabetics with chronic total occlusions: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Management of chronic total occlusions (CTO) in diabetics is challenging, with a recent trend towards early revascularization [ER: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and bypass grafting] instead of optimal medical therapy (OMT). We hypothesize that ER improves morbidity and mortality outcomes in diabetic patients with CTOs as compared to OMT. AIM: To determine the long term clinical outcomes and to compare morbidity and mortality between OMT and ER in diabetic patients with CTOs. METHODS: Potentially relevant published clinical trials were identified in Medline, Embase, chemical abstracts and Biosis (from start of the databases till date) and pooled hazard ratios (HR) computed using a random effects model, with significant P value < 0.05. Primary outcome of interest was all-cause death. Secondary outcomes included cardiac death, prompt revascularization (ER) or repeat myocardial infarction (MI). Due to scarcity of data, both Randomized control trials and observational studies were included. 4 eligible articles, containing 2248 patients were identified (1252 in OMT and 1196 in ER). Mean follow-up was 45-60 mo. RESULTS: OMT was associated with a higher all-cause mortality [HR: 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80-3.26, P = 0.11] and cardiac mortality (HR: 1.68, 95%CI: 0.96-2.96, P = 0.07). Results were close to significance. The risk of repeat MI was almost the same in both groups (HR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.61-1.54, P = 0.90). Similarly, patients assigned to OMT had a higher risk of repeat revascularization (HR: 1.62, 95%CI: 1.36-1.94, P < 0.00001). Sub-group analysis of OMT vs PCI demonstrated higher all-cause (HR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.36-2.87, P = 0.0003) and cardiac mortality (HR: 1.87, 95%CI: 0.96-3.62, P = 0.06) in the OMT group. The risk of repeat MI was low in the OMT group vs PCI (HR: 0.53, 95%CI: 0.31-0.91, P = 0.02). Data on repeat revascularization revealed no difference between the two (HR: 1.00, 95%CI: 0.52-1.93, P = 1.00). CONCLUSION: In diabetic patients with CTO, there was a trend for improved outcomes with ER regarding all-cause and cardiac death as compared to OMT. These findings were reinforced with statistical significance on subgroup analysis of OMT vs PCI.

Safety and Long-Term Patency of Endovascular Therapy for Infrarenal Aortic Disease: Single-Center Experience and Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVES: Endovascular therapy (EVT) has emerged as an alternative to surgery for the treatment of symptomatic infrarenal aortic stenosis (IAS). However, long-term outcomes with EVT are unknown. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients with IAS treated with the endovascular approach at the University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio. We compared our single-center study (SCS) with a review of published studies (ROS) regarding complications, patency rate (PR), and repeat intervention rate (RIR). Pearson's Chi-square or Fisher's exact test, and the Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test, were used for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. For the ROS data, we used a pooled mean of means. RESULTS: A total of 25 patients from the SCS were compared with 698 patients from the ROS data. Mean age was 63 years vs 58 years, females comprised 48% vs 54%, Rutherford class 3 comprised 68% vs 69%, and mean follow-up duration was 67 months vs 44 months in SCS vs ROS, respectively. PR at 12 months was 96% vs 90%, while PR at maximum time-period was 92% vs 76% in SCS vs ROS, respectively. RIR in SCS was 4% at 12 months and 8% at the maximum time period (20.2 years). RIR in ROS was 24% at the maximum time period (10 years). The mortality rate was 0% in the SCS arm vs 3.4% in the ROS arm. CONCLUSION: EVT is highly effective and safe, and was associated with excellent patency rates at long-term follow-up.

Curcumin Preparations Can Improve Flow-Mediated Dilation and Endothelial Function: A Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of atherosclerosis. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD), measured by ultrasonography, is used to noninvasively assess endothelial dysfunction. Preparations of curcumin, a naturally occurring pigment found in turmeric, may improve FMD and thus endothelial dysfunction. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the effect of curcumin preparations on endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: Five randomized clinical trials met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. The primary outcome was an improvement in FMD, as measured at brachial artery, after supplementations with curcumin preparations compared to the control group. Standardized mean difference and Hedges' g were used for effect size (ES) measurement. An ES of 0.2-0.5 is considered small, 0.5-0.8 is medium, and more than 0.8 is large. Publication bias was studied too. RESULTS: We found supplementation with curcumin preparations had an overall ES (standard difference in means) of 1.379 (95% CI 0.485-2.274, p = 0.003) on FMD. The overall Hedges' g was 1.353 (95% CI 0.47-2.235, p = 0.03). This analysis suggests a positive and large ES of curcumin preparations on FMD using a random effect model. Smokers had a smaller increase in FMD compared to nonsmokers (ES 0.379 vs. 1.639, p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis of 5 randomized clinical trials indicates a significant effect of curcumin preparations to increase the FMD compared to placebo and thus endothelial function. This effect is not strongly noticed in smokers.

Systematic Review and Proportional Meta-Analysis of Endarterectomy and Endovascular Therapy with Routine or Selective Stenting for Common Femoral Artery Atherosclerotic Disease.

INTRODUCTION: Common femoral endarterectomy (CFE) has been the therapy of choice for common femoral artery atherosclerotic disease (CFA-ASD). In the past, there was inhibition to treat CFA-ASD endovascularly with stents due to fear of stent fracture and compromise of future vascular access site. However, recent advances and new evidence suggest that CFA may no longer be a 'stent-forbidden zone'. In the light of new evidence, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the use of endovascular treatment for CFA-ASD and compare it with common femoral endarterectomy in the present era. METHODS: Using certain MeSH terms we searched multiple databases for studies done on endovascular and surgical treatment of CFA-ASD in the last two decades. Inclusion criteria were randomized control trials, observational, prospective, or retrospective studies evaluating an endovascular treatment or CFE for CFA-ASD. For comparison, studies were grouped based on the treatment strategy used for CFA-ASD: endovascular treatment with selective stenting (EVT-SS), endovascular treatment with routine stenting (EVT-RS), or common femoral endarterectomy (CFE). Primary patency (PP), target lesion revascularization (TLR), and complications were the outcomes studied. We did proportional meta-analysis using a random-effect model due to heterogeneity among the included studies. If confidence intervals of two results do not overlap, then statistical significance is determined. RESULTS: Twenty-eight studies met inclusion criteria (7 for EVT-RS, 8 for EVT-SS, and 13 for CFE). Total limbs involved were 2914 (306 in EVT-RS, 678 in EVT-SS, and 1930 in CFE). The pooled PP at 1 year was 84% (95% CI 75-92%) for EVT-RS, 78% (95% CI 69-85%) for EVT-SS, and 93% (95% CI 90-96%) for CFE. PP at maximum follow-up in EVT-RS was 83.7% (95% CI 74-91%) and in CFE group was 88.3% (95% CI 81-94%). The pooled target lesion revascularization (TLR) rate at one year was 8% (95% CI 4-13%) for EVT-RS, 19% (95% CI 14-23%) for EVT-SS, and 4.5% (95% CI 1-9%) for CFE. The pooled rate of local complications for EVT-RS was 5% (95% CI 2-10%), for EVT-SS was 7% (95% CI 3 to 12%), and CFE was 22% (95% CI 14-32%). Mortality at maximum follow-up in CFE group was 23.1% (95% CI 14-33%) and EVT-RS was 5.3% (95% CI 1-11%). CONCLUSION: EVT-RS has comparable one-year PP and TLR as CFE. CFE showed an advantage over EVT-SS for one-year PP. The complication rate is lower in EVT RS and EVT SS compared to CFE. At maximum follow-up, CFE and EVT-RS have similar PP but CFE has a higher mortality. These findings support EVT-RS as a management alternative for CFA-ASD.

Comparison of Outcomes and Cost of Endovascular Management Versus Surgical Bypass for the Management of Lower Extremities Peripheral Arterial Disease.

The management of lower extremities peripheral arterial disease (LE-PAD) has always been debatable. We sought to explore in-hospital outcomes in hospitalizations that underwent endovascular or bypass surgery for LE-PAD from nation's largest, publicly available database. The National Inpatient Sample from 2012 to 2014 was queried to identify adult hospitalizations underwent endovascular management and bypass surgery for LE-PAD. Appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic and procedural codes were utilized to identify hospitalizations. A total of 89,256 hospitalizations were identified having endovascular management or bypass surgery for LE-PAD. More hospitalizations underwent endovascular intervention as compared with bypass surgery. Overall, hospitalizations for endovascular management had higher baseline co-morbidities and older age. A propensity score matched analysis was performed to compare in-hospital outcomes. After matching, 28,791 hospitalizations were included in each group. In-hospital mortality was significantly lower with endovascular intervention procedure as compared with surgical bypass group (1.5% vs 2.5%, p ≤0.001). All other secondary outcomes were noted lower with endovascular management except stroke and postprocedural infection. Taken together, these may account for higher discharges to home, lower length of stay, and less cost of hospitalizations associated with endovascular management. In conclusion, endovascular management is associated with lower in-hospital morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and cost when compared with bypass surgery in this study.

Unusual presentation of silently growing abdominal aortic aneurysm causing biliary obstruction.

Biliary obstruction is a rare presentation of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The most common symptoms of AAA are abdominal or back pain and limb ischaemia from thromboembolism. We report a case of a 67-year-old male who was diagnosed with obstructive jaundice secondary to an AAA. CT angiogram revealed compression of the common bile duct by the large AAA, causing diffuse intrahepatic and extrahepatic ductal dilatation. Surgical repair of the aortic aneurysm was successful, and patient's symptoms improved.

Aluminium phosphide poisoning with severe cardiac dysfunction and the role of digoxin.

Aluminium phosphide (ALP) is a common cause of suicidal poisoning in India where it is easily available and commonly known as 'rice tablet'. In rural areas of India, it is still used to protect rice and stored grains from rodents and pests. 1 There is no specific antidote for phosphide poisoning and treatment involves meticulous supportive care. Ingestion can lead to severe cardiac suppression and cardiogenic shock. For patients poisoned with ALP who continue to have refractory shock with persistent myocardial suppression despite the use of adrenergic inotropic agents, the addition of digoxin may be beneficial. We present a case where digoxin was utilised with beneficial patient outcomes.

Rectus sheath haematoma: a rare masquerader for abdominal pain.

Rectus sheath haematoma is a rare cause of abdominal pain. It can be easily confused for other causes of acute abdomen and may even lead to unnecessary laparotomies. Our patient has the rectus sheath haematoma because of violent coughing and on presentation had no obvious clinical sign pointing to the same. Diagnosis was made by a CT scan of the abdomen, and patient was treated conservatively. Rectus sheath haematomas are usually present on the posterior aspect of the rectus muscles and thus may not be clinically appreciable.

Transradial versus transfemoral approach for coronary angiography and angioplasty - A prospective, randomized comparison.

BACKGROUND: PCI has been done traditionally through transfemoral route. But now transradial and transbrachial routes are also coming up in practice. We compared transradial versus transfemoral routes for ease of operability, time for procedure, complications, and failure rates through a prospective study. METHODS: Four hundred Patients admitted in department of cardiology for percutaneous interventions were enrolled in the study. 200 patients were assigned to each group randomly. A single team did all the procedures. Pre procedure, intra procedure and post procedure data of all the patients was collected, tabulated and analysed properly. RESULTS: Access time (6.0 ± 1vs 4.2 ± 0.7; P =0.001); Fluoroscopy time and overall procedure time (29 ± 11.3 Vs. 27.3 ± 12.4 min) were more with trans radial than transfemoral route, respectively. The most common post procedure complication, ecchymosis was seen in 20.5% in transfemoral group compared to 12.5% in transradial group (P 0.031). Thrombophelibites (17.5 VS 8%, P0.004); Hematoma (14.5 Vs 0%, P 0.005); post procedure access bleed (7 VS 3%, P 0.039) were seen in transfemoral than transradial group, respectively. Failure rates were almost similar. None of our patients had post procedure myocardial infarction, stroke, acute renal failure and infections. CONCLUSION: Transradial approach of PCI is better than transfemoral route with respect to complications like bleeding, haematoma formation, thrombophelebites and ecchymosis is concerned. However access and fluoroscopic time is more with the former. We recommend the transradial route for PCI. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial is retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with the Identifier: NCT02983721 , Date of registration is December 2, 2016.

Differentiating secondary from primary dengue using IgG to IgM ratio in early dengue: an observational hospital based clinico-serological study from North India.

BACKGROUND: Secondary dengue causes more severe disease than the primary. Early on, it is important to differentiate the two. We tried to find important clinical and laboratory differences between the two for the purpose of early differentiation. METHODS: One hundred fourteen patients confirmed on reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) were studied. On day 2 of illness IgM and IgG indices were studied for calculation of IgG/IgM ratio. A one-step immunochromatographic assay was used for classification of patients into primary and secondary dengue. Patient characteristics were also studied. RESULTS: Dengue serotype 1 was the most common found in 60.5% patients. 66.7% (76 patients) had secondary dengue. Secondary dengue cases had a higher mean temperature (101.56 ± 1.55 vs. 100.79 ± 1.25,°F, p 0.015), lower platelet counts (50.51 ± 38.91 vs. 100.45 ± 38.66, x 103/micl, p <0.0001) and a significantly higher percentage of Dengue hemorrhagic fever/Dengue shock syndrome (38.2% vs. 2.6%, p <0.0001). In early phase of dengue NS1 and PCR were found to be better tests for diagnosis and later IgM is better. The IgG/IgM ratio of ≥ 1.10 had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 97.4% and accuracy of 67.5% in differentiating secondary from primary dengue. CONCLUSION: Early on in the clinical course, IgG/ IgM ratio can play an important role to differentiate the two. We found the ratio of ≥ 1.10 to be the best cut off for the same.

A man with dilated superficial abdominal veins: A clinical presentation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) varies tremendously depending upon the type of lymphoma and the areas of involvement. NHL can rarely present as an abdominal mass compressing the inferior vena cava. The clinical presentation due to obstruction of inferior vena cava has often been called the inferior vena cava syndrome (IVCS). It can present acutely or chronically. CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old male presented with 3 months history of fever, anorexia, weight loss and abdominal discomfort. His abdominal examination showed dilated superficial veins with blood flowing rostrally. CECT abdomen revealed multiple enlarged some necrotic, retroperitoneal lymph nodes. The inferior vena cava was noted to be compressed by the lymph nodes. The lymph node biopsy revealed non- Hodgkin lymphoma, precursor B cell. CONCLUSION: An abdominal mass compressing the inferior vena cava is a rare but possible cause for appearance of dilated superficial abdominal veins and should be looked for.

Sunitinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC): a developing country experience. Do our patients behave differently than the Western patients?

BACKGROUND: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has historically been refractory to cytotoxic and hormonal agents. IL-2 and IFN-α provide response in a minority of patients. Small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies have established a role in the setting of mRCC. However, there is a lack of data from the Indian subcontinent. The aim of this study was to look whether our patients behave similarly as reported in the Western data to targeted agents, especially sunitinib. METHODS: The study was a prospective observational study conducted for a period of 5 years from 2011 to 2016. Sixty-three patients received targeted agents and were recruited in the study. Five patients were excluded for various reasons, and three were lost to follow-up. Fifty-five patients were properly studied and followed up. Fifty patients received sunitinib, four patients received sorafenib, and one patient received parenteral temsirolimus. Patients were followed for AEs and survival. RESULTS: The most common AEs in patients taking sunitinib were fatigue (70 %), hand-foot syndrome (62 %), skin rash (58 %), mucosal inflammation (58 %), anorexia (42 %), skin discoloration (42 %), followed by dry mouth, dysgeusia, dyspepsia, dry skin, dry mouth, hair color changes, hypothyroidism, alopecia, oral pain/stomatitis, hypertension, decreased weight, photosensitivity, peripheral edema, erythema, and others. The median overall survival in our patients was 13.2 (95 % CI 10.1-16.5), progression-free survival was 8.1 months (95 % CI 6.4-10.5), and objective response was seen in 36 %. CONCLUSION: Non-Western patients behave differently with sunitinib therapy compared to Western patients. Our patients have more mucocutaneous side effects and lesser overall survival.

Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor of Breast.

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is a malignant tumor of the young, usually found in bony structures. It is extremely rare to find it in the breast. Only 9 cases have been reported in the medical literature. A35-year lady had a painless lump in upper left outer quadrant of her left breast which appeared as a BIRADS III lesion on mammography. However, biopsy and later surgery was done on clinical grounds. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry diagnosed a PNETtumor. It had recurred 8 years after surgery and required chemotherapy.

Association of Low Levels of Vitamin D with Chronic Stable Angina: A Prospective Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of death and disability in developed countries. Chronic stable angina is the initial manifestation of CAD in approximately 50% of the patients. Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D is crucial for cardiovascular health. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in our region is 83%. A low level of vitamin D is associated with chronic stable angina. AIM: This study was aimed at supporting or refuting this hypothesis in our population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a prospective case-control study. We studied 100 cases of chronic stable angina and compared them with 100 matched controls. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as <20 ng/mL, vitamin D insufficiency as 20-30 ng/mL and normal vitamin D level as 31-150 ng/mL. RESULTS: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among cases and controls was 75% and 10%, respectively. 75% of the cases were vitamin D-deficient (<20 ng/mL); 12% were vitamin D-insufficient (20-30 ng/mL), and 13% had normal vitamin D levels (31-150 ng/mL). None had a toxic level of vitamin D. Among the controls, 10% were vitamin D-deficient, 33% were vitamin D-insufficient, and 57% had normal vitamin D levels. The mean vitamin level among cases and controls was 15.53 ng/mL and 40.95 ng/mL, respectively, with the difference being statistically significant (P ≤ 0.0001). There was no statistically significant relation between the disease severities, i.e., on coronary angiography (CAG) with vitamin D level. Among the cases, we found that an increasing age was inversely related to vitamin D levels (P = 0.027). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and chronic stable angina. Low levels may be an independent, potentially modifiable cardiovascular risk factor.