Does Deficiency of Vitamin D Increase New Onset Atrial Fibrillation after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery?

<strong>Background:</strong> Deficiency of vitamin D is known to be effective in the development of hypertension, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Deficiency of vitamin D was also shown to be associated with new onset atrial fibrillation (AF) by activating the renin-angiotensin system. This study investigated whether or not levels of vitamin D are effective in the development of AF after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery.<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> A total of 283 patients undergoing CABG were included in this study. Clinical information, history of medication use, serum 25 hydroxy(OH) vitamin D, and calcium levels of all patients were evaluated preoperatively.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> AF developed postoperatively in 72 (25%) of patients. Serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels of patients in whom AF developed after CABG were significantly lower than patients in whom AF did not occur (15.6 ± 7.4 versus 19.1 ± 9.1; P = .004). Independent variables which were predictors of AF development in multivariate logistic regression analysis were ejection fraction (odds ratio [OR]: 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-0.97; P = .003), left atrial dimensions (OR: 1.47; 95% CI 1.26-1.71; P &lt; .001), and serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels (OR: 0.95; 95% CI 0.91-0.99; P = .035).<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> This study has shown that deficiency of vitamin D is associated with new onset AF post-CABG surgery.