title: Serum vitamin D levels are not predictive of the progression of chronic liver disease in hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis.
abstract: In animal models and human cross-sectional studies, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with liver disease progression. Vitamin D supplementation has been suggested as a treatment to prevent disease progression. We sought to evaluate the role of vitamin D levels in predicting chronic liver disease development. We conducted a nested case-control study of vitamin D levels in subjects with (cases) and without (controls) liver histologic progression or clinical decompensation over the course of the HALT-C Trial. Vitamin D levels were measured at 4 points over 45 months. 129 cases and 129 aged-matched controls were included. No difference in baseline vitamin D levels were found between cases and controls. (44.8 ng/mL vs. 44.0 ng/mL, P = 0.74). Vitamin D levels declined in cases and controls over time (P = 0.0005), however, there was no difference in the level of decline (P = 0.37). Among study subjects with diabetes mellitius, baseline vitamin D levels were higher in cases, 49.9 ng/mL, than controls, 36.3 ng/mL. (P = 0.03) In addition, baseline vitamin D levels were higher in black case subjects, 32.7 ng/mL, than in black control subjects, 25.2 ng/mL (P = 0.08) No difference in vitamin D levels was found between patients with and without progression of hepatitis C-associated liver disease over 4 years. Our data do not suggest any role for vitamin D supplementation in patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C and raise the possibility that higher vitamin D levels may be associated with disease progression.
authors.affiliation: Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kathleen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Corey
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mendez-Navarro
authors.forename: Aymin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delgado-Borrego
authors.forename: Jules L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Dienstag
authors.forename: Raymond T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000097:blood; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D