Treatment Of vitamin-D Deficiency Research Articles

Diagnosis, prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency in adults: Ukrainian experts consensus statement

Background. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is widespread in the world; its proportion varies considerably in different populations and depends on many causes. Up to now, there were no National recommendations for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of VDD in adults in Ukraine. Their creation became the purpose of this work. Methodology. Consensus was created using the Delphi method, voting was conducted using the SurveyMonkey® platform. After approval of the composition of the Consensus Group, agreement on the order of formation and structure of the Consensus, creation and correction of the main statements, and two voting rounds, the main Consensus statements were formed and were successfully voted on. The 15 authors of the article are 15 experts who participated in the voting. The final 14 Consensus statements are presented in this article. Each statement is preceded by a justification based on high-quality evidence available in the current literature. Results. Despite the reduction of VDD in the Ukrainian population in recent years, experts have recommen­ded increasing the awareness of the medical community and the Ukrainian population about the problem and ways to overcome it, with a screening of the total serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in subjects from the groups of risk to achieve the target concentration of 30–50 ng/ml (75–125 nmol/l). To ensure it, we recommend the individual selection of a prophylactic dose of vitamin D (800–2000 IU/d for young healthy persons and 3000–5000 IU/d for patients with diseases and conditions that affect the metabolism of vitamin D). For the treatment of VDD, we recommend short-term intake of higher doses (4000–10,000 IU/d) of vitamin D with control of the 25(OH)D level after 4–12 weeks of treatment and subsequent use of maintenance doses. Also, we re­commend the determination of serum 25(OH)D level before the initiation of antiosteoporotic therapy in patients with osteoporosis and its complications to prevent its ineffectiveness and increase the safety profile.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Chronic Childhood Disorders: Importance of Screening and Prevention.

Vitamin D plays a vital role in regulating calcium and phosphate metabolism and maintaining bone health. A state of prolonged or profound vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can result in rickets in children and osteomalacia in children and adults. Recent studies have demonstrated the pleiotropic action of vitamin D and identified its effects on multiple biological processes in addition to bone health. VDD is more prevalent in chronic childhood conditions such as long-standing systemic illnesses affecting the renal, liver, gastrointestinal, skin, neurologic and musculoskeletal systems. VDD superimposed on the underlying disease process and treatments that can adversely affect bone turnover can all add to the disease burden in these groups of children. The current review outlines the causes and mechanisms underlying poor bone health in certain groups of children and young people with chronic diseases with an emphasis on the proactive screening and treatment of VDD.

Vitamin D deficiency in adolescents: is there a difference according to the degree of obesity?

To analyze the frequency of vitamin D (VD) deficiency in adolescents with different degrees of obesity and its association with alterations in the metabolic profile. Cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study in 250 adolescents with different degrees of obesity, treated at the nutrition polyclinic of the Hospital Dr. Sotero del Río. Data on age, sex, weight, height, Tanner stage, 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, basal insulin, and glycemia were collected. The following were used for statistical analysis: Student's test, chi-square, multiple linear regression analysis, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. 58% of the adolescents presented non-severe obesity and 42% severe obesity, the mean age was 12.4 ± 2.1 years, and 54% were male. 91% of the total sample presented VD deficiency, being more frequent among adolescents with severe obesity, reaching 95%. VD levels were significantly lower in winter. HOMA (homeostatic model assessment) values were higher among patients with severe obesity (6.3/4.2). Low HDL-c was more frequent in adolescents with severe obesity (78%/62%). An inverse correlation was found between VD and triglyceride levels (r = -0.20; p = 0.00) and total cholesterol (r = -0.15; p = 0.03). The VD deficiency among obese adolescents is worrying, reaching more than 90% of the study sample. Our results highlight the importance of timely prevention, detection, and treatment of VD deficiency in obese adolescents to prevent bone health deterioration and cardiometabolic risk in adulthood.

The effects of correction of vitamin D deficiency in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Literature data suggest that vitamin D (VD) deficiency may adversely affect many systems of the body, not only skeletal system, as believed earlier, but also central nervous system, cardiovascular system, urinary system, and immune system, which is particularly important for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Two consecutive studies of VD deficiency after allogeneic HSCT in pediatric patients showed that VD deficiency was associated with decreased overall survival. The correction of VD deficiency was also reported to be a challenge, and in some cases higher doses of VD were needed (200 IU/kg/day or more), but even with this more aggressive approach VD deficiency could persist. In this article, we present a literature review on this topic as well as our data on the management of VD deficiency and monitoring of serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-HVD) levels in 18 children undergoing allogeneic HSCT at our hospital. This study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee of the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital (Yekaterinburg). Unfortunately, because of the small size of the patient group we were not able to obtain reliable scientific data. However, here we present our approach to the clinical management of VD deficiency, personalized dosing of VD, and safe therapeutic ranges of VD metabolites in blood. The majority of HSCT recipients in our study achieved therapeutic levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol. Treatment of VD deficiency in children undergoing allogeneic HSCT is a promising way to improve overall survival, but further studies are needed to develop optimal clinical strategies.

Circulatory Leptin Levels as a Key Link in the Potential Association between Insulin Resistance and Vitamin D Deficiency: A Review Article -

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are worldwide problems. Many recent studies have shown a high prevalence of T2DM and VDD in Mediterranean countries including Jordan. Remarkably, VDD is more prevalent in obese people with inverse association with 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD). Nevertheless , randomized clinical trials (RCTs) point did not confirm that yet in particular the association with an obesity marker (leptin hormone) . Leptin is involved in the insulin resistance (IR) pathogenesis and development of T2DM. Some RCTs showed that the treatment of VDD by 1,25OHD2D3 (VD3) may improve the control of diabetes and insulin sensitivity or decrease the risk of disease. Conversely, leptin levels were positively associated with 25OHD levels. Overall, taking into account the U-shaped curve , it seems that the association between VD3 supplementation is a dose dependent . In this context , it can be concluded that when VD intake is below, the serum leptin level will be low and vice versa VD supplementation may cause raising serum leptin as shown in this review . Therefore, we suggest further clinical trials wither to confirm or negation of existence of diabetogenic or anti-diabetogenic effects for VD3 supplementations.

Lack of association of baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels with disease severity and mortality in Indian patients hospitalized for COVID-19

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) owing to its immunomodulatory effects is believed to influence outcomes in COVID-19. We conducted a prospective, observational study of patients, hospitalized with COVID-19. Serum 25-OHD level < 20 ng/mL was considered VDD. Patients were classified as having mild and severe disease on basis of the WHO ordinal scale for clinical improvement (OSCI). Of the 410 patients recruited, patients with VDD (197,48.2%) were significantly younger and had lesser comorbidities. The levels of PTH were significantly higher in the VDD group (63.5 ± 54.4 vs. 47.5 ± 42.9 pg/mL). The proportion of severe cases (13.2% vs.14.6%), mortality (2% vs. 5.2%), oxygen requirement (34.5% vs.43.4%), ICU admission (14.7% vs.19.8%) was not significantly different between patients with or without VDD. There was no significant correlation between serum 25-OHD levels and inflammatory markers studied. Serum parathormone levels correlated with D-dimer (r 0.117, p- 0.019), ferritin (r 0.132, p-0.010), and LDH (r 0.124, p-0.018). Amongst VDD patients, 128(64.9%) were treated with oral cholecalciferol (median dose of 60,000 IU). The proportion of severe cases, oxygen, or ICU admission was not significantly different in the treated vs. untreated group. In conclusion, serum 25-OHD levels at admission did not correlate with inflammatory markers, clinical outcomes, or mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Treatment of VDD with cholecalciferol did not make any difference to the outcomes.

Vitamin D deficiency induces the excitation/inhibition brain imbalance and the proinflammatory shift.

Vitamin D3 is among the major neurosteroids whose role in developing and adult brain is intensively studied now. Its active form 1,25(OH)2D3 regulates the expression and functioning of a range of brain-specific proteins, which orchestrate the neurotransmitter turnover, neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. Despite numerous studies of the vitamin D role in normal and pathological brain function, there is little evidence on the mechanisms of alterations in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission under vitamin D deficiency (VDD). Using the animal model we characterized the dysfunction of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission under alimentary VDD. The shift between unstimulated and evoked GABA release under VDD was largely reversed after treatment of VDD, whereas the impairments in glutamatergic system were only partially recovered after 1-month vitamin D3 supplementation. The increase of the external glutamate level and unstimulated GABA release in brain nerve terminals was associated with intensified ROS production and higher [Ca2+]i in presynapse. The negative allosteric modulation of presynaptic mGlu7 receptors significantly enhanced exocytotic GABA release, which was decreased under VDD, thereby suggesting the neuroprotective effect of such modulation of inhibitory neurotransmission. Synaptic plasma membranes and cytosolic proteins contribute to the decreased stimulated release of neurotransmitter, by being the crucial components, whose functional state is impaired under VDD. The critical changes with synaptic vesicles occurred at the docking step of the process, whereas malfunctioning of synaptic cytosolic proteins impacted the fusion event foremost. The decreased amplitude of exocytosis was inherent for non-excitable cells as well, as evidenced by lower platelet degranulation. Our data suggest the presynaptic dysfunction and proinflammatory shift as the early events in the pathogenesis of VDD-associated disorders and provide evidences for the neuroprotective role of vitamin D3.

Obesity is associated with lower levels of vitamin D

Aim: In this study we aimed to compare the 25(OH) Vitamin-D level of obese patients and the serum 25(OH) Vitamin-D level of healthy individuals who have normal weight ;and also to evaluate the relation between 25(OH) Vitamin-D level and body mass index (BMI),waist circumference, hip circumference, body fat ratio. Methods: Among the patients who went into Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital Internal Medicine Polyclinic and the patients hospitalized at the Internal Medicine Clinic between the dates December 2012 - May 2013 and whose ages range between 18 and 70; total 105 individuals took part in the study. 62 individuals whose BMI is ≥30 formed the patient group, while 43 individuals whose BMI is between 18,5 and 25 formed control group. Vitamin-D level of the patient group and control group was measured. The data obtained was statistically analyzed. Results: The weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, body fat ratios of the patients in the case group were significantly higher than the ones in the control group (p<0.05). The 25 (OH) Vitamin-D level of the patients in the case group was significantly less than the ones in control group (p=0.03). There was statistically significant negative correlation between 25 (OH) Vitamin-D value and weight (r=-0.26 p=0.01), waist circumference (r=-0.23 p=0.02), and BMI (r=-0.26 p=0.01). Conclusion: Physicians should consider in treatment of vitamin-D deficiency that, serum vitamin-D levels are higher in obese compared to lean subjects and correlated negatively with BMI, weight and waist circumference.

Effects of Cholecalciferol Supplementation in Patients with stable heart failure and LOw vITamin D levels (ECSPLOIT-D): a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin D (VD) on the interaction among functional, echocardiographic and hormonal parameters in patients with heart failure (HF) and VD deficiency. In a randomized, double blind trial, 35 patients with HF and VD<20 ng/mL, received either 300,000 U of oral cholecalciferol followed by 50,000 U/month for 6 months, or placebo treatment. Changes in the 6 Minute Walking Test (6MWT) assessed at 3 and 6 months in treatment group was the primary end point. Secondary endpoints were echocardiographic and hormonal changes. The same targets were compared in treated and placebo groups as secondary endpoints. In the treatment group the 6MWT improved at 3 (from 210±104 mt to 225±94 mt; P=0.033) but not at 6 months (from 210±104 mt to 217±94 mt; P=0.288) while PTH dropped at 3 (from 76.8±50.5 to 50.2±20.3 pg/mL; P=0.025), but not at 6 months. 6MWT improvement was negatively related to baseline VD levels. Variation in 6MWT did not significantly differ among groups at 3 (13.6±23.3 vs. 3.6±17.3; P 0.175) and 6 months (12.1±31.4 vs. 0.2±23.2; P 0.225). Left atrial size increased in the placebo group (from 50.8±20.7 to 61.7±36.0 mL/m2; P=0.010). Other hormonal parameters remained unchanged. In summary, the treatment of VD deficiency in patients with HF improved 6MWT after 3 months along with a decrease in PTH levels. However when compared with the placebo arm, treatment of VD deficiency did not influence the final outcomes.

Effects of two high dose vitamin-D by parenteral route in treating vitamin-D deficiency: a prospective interventional study

Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a global public health problem. Despite ample sunshine, vitamin D deficiency is very common in the Middle East (15°–36°N) and African (35°S–37°N) countries; and in South Asian countries. Different oral or parenteral dose modalities are tried for treatment of vitamin-D deficiency. Since the duration of corrective therapy is long; compliance of patients is a major issue. Herein we suggest a simple, affordable and practical plan to treat this very common deficiency.

The validity of the application needs of vitamin D in children of different ages. Which drug to choose?

The paper presents the modern data of the importance of vitamin D in the formation of proper health of children and adults. There were analyzed specific pharmacological properties and prices of vitamin D, which were registered in Ukraine and intended for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D-deficiency in infants. Advantages of capsule form of the drug D-Vitum (Poland) applying in children 0 to 6 years to prevent vitamin D deficiency and correction of vitamin D-deficiency were shown.

G67(P) Variation in response to vitamin D therapy in a series of children referred to a paediatric bone disease service

AimsGuidelines for treatment of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) vary. We aimed to review the range of treatment regimens used locally to treat VDD and their effectiveness.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective review...

Manifestations of Severe Vitamin D Deficiency in Adolescents: Effects of Intramuscular Injection of a Megadose of Cholecalciferol

We recorded the manifestations of severe vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in 40 adolescents before and 3 and 6 months after treatment with a mega dose of cholecalciferol (10 000 IU kg(-1), max 600 000 IU). Significant improvement of symptoms related to VDD was reported in 34/40. Three months after the injection, serus calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase and parathormone were normal in all adolescents with VDD with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level = or >20 ng ml(-1). After 6 months, the majority had 25OHD level <20 ng ml(-1). Two patterns of radiological changes have been recorded with complete healing achieved in all patients after a year of therapy. A mega dose of cholecalciferol is an effective therapy for treatment of VDD in adolescents for 3 months but not for 6 months. Radiographs of the ends of long bones are still valuable tool for diagnosis and follow-up of these patients.

Cutaneous vitamin D synthesis versus skin cancer development: The Janus faces of solar UV-radiation.

In scientific and public communities, there is an ongoing discussion how to balance between positive and negative effects of solar UV-exposure. On the one hand, solar UV-radiation represents the most important environmental risk factor for the development of non-melanoma skin cancer. Consequently, UV protection is an important measure to prevent these malignancies, especially in risk groups. Otherwise, approximately 90% of all vitamin D needed by the human body has to be formed in the skin through the action of UV-radiation. This dilemma represents a serious problem, for an association of vitamin D-deficiency and multiple independent diseases including various types of cancer, bone diseases, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension has now been reported in a large number of investigative and epidemiologic studies. As a consequence, it has been assumed that for the general population in the US, Europe and other countries, the net effects of solar UV B-radiation on human health are beneficial at or near current levels. We and others have shown that strict sun protection causes vitamin D-deficiency/insufficiency and that detection and treatment of vitamin D-deficiency in sun deprived risk groups is of high importance. Although further work is necessary to define an adequate vitamin D-status and adequate guidelines for solar and artificial UV-exposure, it is at present mandatory that public health campaigns and sun protection recommendations to prevent skin cancer consider these facts. In this review, we analyze the present literature to help developing well-balanced recommendations on sun protection that ensure an adequate vitamin D-status. These recommendations will hopefully protect us against adverse effects of UV protection without significantly increasing the risk to develop UV-induced skin cancer.