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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Jul;46(7):721-728.
doi: 10.1002/clc.24035. Epub 2023 May 24.

Association between vitamin D deficiency and vasovagal syncope: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Amirmohammad Khalaji  1   2   3 , Amir Hossein Behnoush  1   2   3 , Masih Tajdini  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association between vitamin D deficiency and vasovagal syncope: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Amirmohammad Khalaji et al. Clin Cardiol. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is the most prevalent type of syncope and its management includes pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. Recently, studies have investigated vitamin D levels in VVS patients. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aim to review these studies to find possible associations between vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D levels with VVS. International databases including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase were searched with keywords related to "vasovagal syncope" and "vitamin D." Studies were screened and the data were extracted from them. Random-effect meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for vitamin D levels in comparison to VVS patients and controls. Also, VVS occurrence was measured and the odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI were calculated for comparison of vitamin D deficient cases and nondeficient individuals. Six studies were included with 954 cases investigated. Meta-analysis showed that patients with VVS had significantly lower vitamin D serum levels in comparison to non-VVS cases (SMD -1.05, 95% CI -1.54 to -0.57, p-value < .01). Moreover, VVS occurrence was higher in vitamin D-deficient individuals (OR 5.43, 95% CI 2.40 to 12.27, p-value < .01). Our findings which show lower vitamin D levels in VVS patients can have clinical implications in order for clinicians to pay attention to this when approaching VVS. Further randomized controlled trials are certainly warranted to assess the role of vitamin D supplementation in individuals with VVS.

Keywords: meta-analysis; syncope; systematic review; vasovagal syncope; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram summarizing the selection of eligible studies based on the PRISMA guidelines. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot for meta‐analysis of serum vitamin D levels in VVS patients versus healthy controls. VVS, vasovagal syncope.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot for meta‐analysis of VVS occurrence in patients with and without vitamin D deficiency. VVS, vasovagal syncope.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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