title: Vitamin D deficiency in septic patients at ICU admission is not a mortality predictor.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D is involved in immune regulation in humans. Vitamin D serum deficiency is reported to be common in hospitalized patients, especially among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D levels in septic patients and outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 170 patients were studied, of which 92 were severe sepsis/septic shock patients, and 72 were major trauma patients, as an age-matched control group. Exclusion criteria were: age <18 years (y), malnutrition state, pregnancy, breast feeding, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, pathologies affecting bone and calcium metabolism, vitamin D metabolism derangement for therapy, hematological and solid malignancies, and HIV. Vitamin D levels were measured by radioimmunoassay at admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median vitamin D levels at admission to ICU were 10.1 ng/mL in the sepsis group and 18.4 ng/mL in the trauma group (P<0.0001). In univariate analysis, mortality rate in septic patients was significantly correlated with age, gender, SAPS II, vitamin D level at admission, duration of mechanical ventilation, and ICU/hospital length of stay, however, the multivariate logistic regression model confirmed significance only for age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our cohort, septic patients showed a significantly lower vitamin D level than trauma patients in comparison to age cohort patients with the same demographic/clinical characteristics, but no clear relationship between vitamin D level and outcome was found. Further studies with larger samples are needed to clarify the prognostic role of vitamin D and nutraceutical interventions in critically ill patients.
authors: Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department, Careggi Teaching Hospital, Florence, Italy.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Cecchi
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Bonizzoli
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Douar
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mangini
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Paladini
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Gazzini
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Degl'Innocenti
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Linden
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Zagli
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Peris
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D