Serum Calcium Could Predict Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Having lower levels of calcium in the blood is associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), according to the results of a recent study.

SCA is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and a significant proportion of those who die from SCA would not be considered at high risk under current guidelines. For this reason, identifying characteristics of individuals at risk for SCA is a priority.
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For their study, researchers compared data from 267 SCA cases and 445 controls from a large population based study in the United States. All patients were aged 18 years or older and had available creatinine clearance (CrCl) and serum electrolyte levels for analyses.

In multivariable logistic regression analysis, a 1-unit decrease in serum calcium levels was associated with a 1.6-fold increase in the odds of SCA, and serum calcium levels lower than 8.95 mg/dL were associated with a 2.3-fold increase in the odds of SCA compared with levels higher than 9.55 mg/dL.

“Lower serum [calcium] levels were independently associated with an increased risk of SCA in the community,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Yarmohammadi H, Uy-Evanado A, Reinier K, et al. serum calcium and risk of sudden cardiac arrest in the general population [published online September 21, 2017]. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.05.028