Pilot Study of Vitamin D Screening Use in Peripheral Arterial Disease Patient Over Maximum Distance Walking

Overview

The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is greater than 15%. PAD is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death, coronary heart disease and stroke, with a mortality rate of 5% per year. Most clinical evidence supports the idea that having normal vitamin D reduces cardiovascular risk. The data suggests that normalizing vitamin D levels would have a significant impact on public health, reduce costs and help control the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease. There is also a plausible physiological theory, supported by numerous observational studies, that vitamin D supplementation should be effective in improving cardiovascular outcomes, such as blood pressure, arterial stiffness, atherosclerosis, endothelial function, and clinical events. The investigators hypothesize that routine screening for vitamin D deficiency and supplementation in case of hypovitaminosis D is effective for improving the maximum walking distance after 12 weeks of treatment in stage 2 PAD patients .

At admission eligible patients are proposed to participate. Written consent is signed after complete oral and written explanation of the protocol is signed. Vitamin D level will be assessed : Patients without vitamin D deficiency will be excluded. The influence of vitamin D supplementation on the evolution of walking distance in 12 weeks will be studied by comparing the spontaneous evolution of this walking distance, in not supplemented patients (period 1 ), and the evolution under treatment with vitamin D (period 2, afer 3 months ). The spontaneous evolution of the walking distance will be evaluated by the difference in walking distance observed between the beginning and the end of the first Period (3 months) . The evolution of walking distance under vitamin D treatment will be evaluated by the difference in walking distance between between the beginning and the end of the second Period (3 months). The duration of participation for a subject is equal to 6 months (2 periods of 3 months )