Oral vitamin D is effective in chronic liver disease.
Gastroenterol Clin Biol. 2010 Aug 27.
Rode A, Fourlanos S, Nicoll A.
Department of Gastroenterology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan St, Parkville, VIC, 3050, Melbourne, Australia.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: End-stage chronic liver disease is associated with vitamin D deficiency but the prevalence across a broad-spectrum of liver disease is unknown.
This study prospectively examines prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and response to replacement in chronic liver disease.
METHODS: One hundred and fifty-eight outpatients with chronic liver disease were enrolled.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels were classified as:
severely deficient less than 25nmol/l, deficient 25-54nmol/l or
replete greater than 54nmol/l.
Sixty-five of 158 (41%) had cirrhosis.
RESULTS: 25[OH]D was suboptimal in 101/158 (64%), including severe deficiency in 24 patients (15%).
Vitamin D deficiency occurred in liver disease of all aetiologies, including patients with only mild liver disease. 25[OH]D increased by 60.0% (19.11+/-13.20nmol/l) in patients with deficiency after vitamin D replacement and decreased by 25.2% (-18.33+/-12.02nmol/l) in non-treated initially replete patients over a median of 4 months.
CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency improves with oral vitamin D supplementation and levels fall without supplementation.
Chronic liver disease patients are at very high risk of vitamin D deficiency regardless of etiology or severity. PMID: 20801590
Wish the abstract said how big the dose was