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Non-cardiac Chest Pain and Anxiety: A Possible Link to Vitamin D and Calcium

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Abstract

This study was performed to check the hypothesis that low serum vitamin D and reduced calcium intake may contribute to the comorbidity of psychological symptoms (anxiety and depression) and non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). The design was a case–control study that involved 40 subjects with NCCP and 40 age and gender-matched healthy controls. Serum vitamin D was assessed using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay; anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and dietary calcium intake was assessed by self-reporting. Subjects with NCCP had higher anxiety and depression scores and lower vitamin D and dietary calcium intake compared to healthy controls (p < .05). NCCP was associated with anxiety score (odds ratio = 1.40, p < .01). Prevalence of abnormal anxiety score was much higher in subjects with NCCP (47.5%) compared to healthy controls (7.5%). Anxiety score was inversely correlated with vitamin D level and dietary calcium intake (p < .01). Anxiety score was inversely associated with vitamin D level (R2 = .32, p < .05). In conclusion, development of NCCP can be predicted from increased anxiety score which in turn can be predicted from low vitamin D levels. This suggests physicians to consider anxiety and vitamin D deficiency as possible causes for NCCP.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Deanship of Research, Jordan University for Science and Technology under Grant (Number: 531/2015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    Mohammad J. Alkhatatbeh, Khalid K. Abdul-Razzak & Noor A. Amara

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    Mohamad Al-Jarrah

Authors
  1. Mohammad J. Alkhatatbeh
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  2. Khalid K. Abdul-Razzak
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  3. Noor A. Amara
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  4. Mohamad Al-Jarrah
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Correspondence to Mohammad J. Alkhatatbeh.

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Conflict of interest

Mohammad J. Alkhatatbeh, Khalid K. Abdul-Razzak, Noor A. Amara, and Mohamad Al-Jarrah declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Alkhatatbeh, M.J., Abdul-Razzak, K.K., Amara, N.A. et al. Non-cardiac Chest Pain and Anxiety: A Possible Link to Vitamin D and Calcium. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 26, 194–199 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-018-9579-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-018-9579-2

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