title: Vitamin D levels in patients of acute leukemia before and after remission-induction therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin [25(OH)D3] in patients with acute leukemia and the effect of remission-induction chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was case control, all newly diagnosed patients of acute leukemia between the age of one to sixty years and residents of Pakistan were enrolled and evaluated. Those who were unwilling or unable to provide written informed consent were excluded. All selected patients (n=86) were grouped in to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). AML was further categorized as A1 before remission-induction (n=17) and B1 after remission induction (n=13), ALL was further categorized as A2 before remission-induction (n=31) and B2 after remission induction (n=25). The 25-hydroxyvitamin [25(OH)D3] levels were measured in the sera of all patients (before and after remission-induction) by one step delayed chemiluminescent micro particle immunoassay (CMIA).We compared 25(OH)D3 levels in all patients before and after the remission-induction chemotherapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 86 patients were analyzed, in which 60 patients were male. Mean age was 24.39 years (range, 1 to 60 years); the mean levels of 25(OH)D in group A1 (n=17) was 17.70±3.2 ng/ml, in group B1 (n=13) 14.06±2.4 ng/ml, 19.07±7.08 ng/ml in group A2 (n=31), while 10.59±3.9 ng/ml found in group B2 (n=25).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  25(OH)D3 insufficiency was evident subnormal in majority of patients with acute leukemia and 25(OH)D3 were further reduced after remission-induction as compared to untreated group, difference was statistically significant when compared with each group.
authors.affiliation: Arshi Naz, M.Sc, M.Phil, Department of Hematology, National Institute of Blood Disease and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Arshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naz
authors.affiliation: Rizwan N. Qureshi, MBBS, FCPS, Department of Internal Medicine, National Institute of Blood Disease and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Rizwan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: N Qureshi
authors.affiliation: Tahir S. Shamsi, MBBS, FRCPath, Department of Clinical Hematology and Oncology, National Institute of Blood Disease and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Tahir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: S Shamsi
authors.affiliation: Tabassum Mahboob, PhD, Department of Biochemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Tabassum
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mahboob
keywords: AL: Acute Leukemia; ALL: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; AML: Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Vitamin D