For patients with rheumatoid arthritis taking oral calcium supplements, higher levels of calcium in the bloodstream were not associated with an increased risk of coronary atherosclerosis, according to a newly published study in Arthritis and Rheumatology.
Dr. Laura Geraldino-Pardilla of Columbia University, New York, and her associates reviewed data from 145 RA patients without known CVD from a prospective cohort study, and used a multidetector CT scan to assess the patients’ levels of coronary artery calcium (CAC), a measure of coronary atherosclerosis, at baseline and through regular follow-ups.
They found baseline CAC scores greater than 100 units were significantly less frequent in the higher-dose supplemental calcium group (at least 1,000 mg/day) than in the lower-dose group (less than 1,000mg/day) (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.11-0.74), even after adjustment for relevant confounders (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.09-0.93).
Read the entire article online at Arthritis & Rheumatology 2015 (doi: 10.1002/art.39100).