Nutritional status in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Nutritional deficiencies have been described in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), such as in iron and vitamin D. However, an extensive description of vitamin and mineral status is lacking and until now there is no data on dietary intake in PAH patients. We analyzed blood samples and determined nutritional intake using a food frequency questionnaire (HELIUS) in a cohort of prevalent PAH patients at a single center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire. In total, 37 patients were included (6 males, 31 females; 48 ± 16 years). The dietary intake of sugar was above 25 g in 87% of the patients and fluid intake was above 1500 ml in 78% of the patients. Sodium intake was below 1800 mg in the majority (56%) of the patients. Sugar and fluid intake were linear related. We confirm previously observed deficiencies of iron and vitamin D in our study population. In addition, we observed a functional vitamin B12 deficiency in 29% of patients, which coincided with an increased expression of methylmalonic acid. 60% of patients had a low vitamin K1 status (<0.8 nmol/L). Finally, 40% of patients had selenium levels below <100 μg/L and low selenium levels associated with reduced vitality in these patients. Besides the known deficiencies in iron and vitamin D levels, we observed in a subset of patients signs of vitamin B12, vitamin K1 and selenium deficiencies. There is room for improving dietary intake. Future research aims to demonstrate the clinical importance and reveal the effect of nutritional interventions.