Calcium Supplements linked to worse outcomes in Aortic Stenosis for older patients.

[SheffieldJane]

I thought it useful to raise awareness of these findings for some of our members.

medscape.com/viewarticle/97...

[nuigini]

Thanks for sharing this.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

This is a fairly limited population though - just patients with aortic valve narrowing. Doesn't apply to many of us thank goodness.

When it comes to calcium supplements the idea is to make sure we get a good supply and not an excessive supply - it is one of the things where some is good, more is not necessarily better!

[SheffieldJane in reply to PMRpro]

I have an Aortic dilation and it makes me not want to introduce a calcium supplement, although it only talks about stenosis. I take vit D, K2 and eat a good calcium diet. The tablets caused cystitis issues, so I stopped ages ago. It makes me think that it might silt things up, based on no science whatsoever.

[Bcol in reply to SheffieldJane]

As far as I know I have no Aortic problems, recent scans showed no problems, but like you I take Vit D and K2 but have never taken a Calcium supplement.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SheffieldJane]

The point of my reply is that it is nothing to do with the aorta itself - it is the aortic valve that is stenosed, the valve at the exit from the heart to the circulation

"The aortic valve—the main outflow valve for the left heart—is the valve between the heart and the body. The aortic valve opens when the left ventricle squeezes to pump out blood, and closes in between heart beats to keep blood from going backward into the heart."

ctsurgerypatients.org/adult....

[Megams in reply to PMRpro]

~Thanks for sharing this link PMRpro - fascinating & informative info ~

[SheffieldJane in reply to PMRpro]

That’s useful info. It just struck me that our group is routinely prescribed calcium supplements and our age group is more likely to have Aortic stenosis. Furthermore, routine testing of the Aortic function is important for GCA patients and advisable for long term PMR patients as I am learning.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SheffieldJane]

The incidence increases with age anyway - 2% at 65, 4% at over 85. Just plain aging ...

We need a bit more calcium because the pred makes us shed more through the kidneys. It is just adding a few more fish to the pond to make it more likely we'll catch some.

[Suet3942 in reply to SheffieldJane]

I’ve got a trivial leaking valve. Wonder if I should stop calcium supplements

[SheffieldJane in reply to Suet3942]

Ask your doctor Sue, maybe refer to the research in my link. Xx

[Suet3942 in reply to SheffieldJane]

I will Jane thanks. I see my rheumy in July x

[Zebedee44]

I’m with you on that, Sheffield Jane , having also came to the conclusion that the supplements gave me repeat bladder issues in the early days of PMR. So I have not been taking them, preferring a Vit K/D supplément I have been buying online. Now minding the pennies I have resorted to prescription Calcichew and sticking to one a day, with free Vit D from the great outdoors.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Zebedee44]

Which is fine as long as the great vit D factory in the skin is functioning well - and the sad truth is that at 60 it produces only about a quarter of what it did at 20. It certainly doesn't work for me - less than 4000 IU per day as a supplement and my blood levels fall slowly but steadily. And I live at a latitude where theoretically it should make vit D all year round, unlike much of the USA and the UK.

[SheffieldJane]

I certainly religiously take a vit D supplement. I think we all should.