Lithium lowers coronary/vascular calcifications, in this retrospective study

#1

Different form and levels but interesting finding:

  • Researchers analyzed data from 177 patients 45 and older with bipolar disorder. Among the patients, 84 were receiving lithium therapy at the time of enrollment, while 93 were not prescribed lithium during the roughly 10-year study period.
  • The patients taking lithium had 89% lower odds of aortic calcification and 81% lower odds of coronary artery calcification.

(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032726012693) in the *Journal of Affective Disorders

  • Among the patients taking lithium, the researchers did not identify any dose-dependent differences in the prevalence of aortic or coronary artery calcification (doses ranged from <600mg to 1,200mg/day).* .
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#2

Among treatment-seeking adults with BD, higher serum lithium levels were associated with lower and normal CIMT, while illness chronicity showed the opposite trend. The present findings support a potential anti-atherosclerotic role of lithium therapy and underscore the importance of weight management in reducing cardiovascular risk in the BD population-even among those on lithium.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42263872/