Vitamin D supplementation does not improve BMD in cirrhosis patients

One-year supplementation with vitamin D has led to improvements in 25(OH)D levels but not in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine and left hip neck in patients with cirrhosis, results of a recent study have shown.

The authors enrolled 390 patients with cirrhosis (aged 18–60 years) of any aetiology and measured the following at entry and 1 year: serum 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T4, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and health-related quality of life (QOL); serum calcium, on the other hand, was measured at 3-month interval.

BMD was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at lumbar spine and left hip neck at entry and after 1 year. The authors also conducted an intention-to-treat statistical analysis.

Of the screened patients, 164 were randomized (82 in each group). After 1 year, a significant increase in 25(OH)D levels was observed in the intervention group compared with placebo (33.7 vs 23.1 ng/mL; p<0.001). There was no significant change in the mean difference in BMD at lumbar spine and left hip neck after a year of vitamin D supplementation between both groups.

In addition, no significant change was noted in levels of calcium, thyroid-stimulating hormone, parathyroid hormone, free T4, IGF-1, and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and QOL in both groups.

“In patients with cirrhosis, highly prevalent vitamin D deficiency and low BMD increase the burden of disease,” according to the authors.