title: Vitamin D deficiency in cirrhosis relates to liver dysfunction rather than aetiology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the vitamin D status in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis compared to those with primary biliary cirrhosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our retrospective case series comprised 89 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 34 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis who visited our outpatient clinic in 2005 and underwent a serum vitamin D status assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, 85% had serum vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L and 55% had levels below 25 nmol/L, as compared to 60% and 16% of the patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, respectively (P < 0.001). In both groups, serum vitamin D levels decreased with increasing liver disease severity, as determined by the Child-Pugh score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D deficiency in cirrhosis relates to liver dysfunction rather than aetiology, with lower levels of vitamin D in alcoholic cirrhosis than in primary biliary cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine V (Hepatology and Gastroenterology), Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark. mikkel.malham@gmail.com
authors.forename: Mikkel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malham
authors.forename: Søren Peter
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agnholt
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vilstrup
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borre
authors.forename: Jens F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dahlerup
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D