05 March 2012
According to a new US study, low blood vitamin D levels seem to be associated with increased rejection and infections after lung transplantation.
In the study, blood vitamin D concentrations of 102 patients who underwent a lung transplant were measured within 100 days prior to or following surgery (1). At the beginning of the study twenty-one patients had normal vitamin D levels and 81 were deficient. After surgery the rejection rate in the deficient group was more than double that of the non-deficient group. Infections also were more frequent in the deficient group than in the non-deficient group. In addition, the mortality rate of vitamin D deficient patients one year after transplant was nearly five times higher than those who were not deficient.
The researchers concluded that given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in lung transplant patients and the growing evidence that this micronutrient helps the immune system tolerate the organ, optimal levels of vitamin D are critical for positive outcomes in these patients. Thus, all vitamin D deficient patients should receive supplements to normalize blood levels prior to lung transplant.
28 December 2012
According to a new US study increased vitamin D levels of mothers at a gestation of 26 weeks or less may be related to a higher birth weight and a larger head circumference.
15 March 2010
Vitamin D supplementation during the winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, especially in specific subgroups of schoolchildren, says a new study.
1 March 2015
A new study from Finland reports that low blood vitamin D concentrations in childhood seem to increase occurrence of atherosclerosis in adulthood.
