Higher vitamin D serum concentration increases health related quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of vitamin D (VD) concentrations and VD supplementation on health related quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.


METHODS
A cohort of 220 IBD patients including 141 Crohn's disease (CD) and 79 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients was followed-up at a tertiary IBD center. A subgroup of the cohort (n = 26) took VD supplements for > 3 mo. Health related quality of life was assessed using the short IBD questionnaire (sIBDQ). VD serum concentration and sIBDQ score were assessed between August and October 2012 (summer/autumn period) and between February and April 2013 (winter/spring period). The mean VD serum concentration and its correlation with disease activity of CD were determined for each season separately. In a subgroup of patients, the effects of VD supplementation on winter VD serum concentration, change in VD serum concentration from summer to winter, and winter sIBDQ score were analyzed.


RESULTS
During the summer/autumn and the winter/spring period, 28% and 42% of IBD patients were VD-deficient (< 20 ng/mL), respectively. In the winter/spring period, there was a significant correlation between sIBDQ score and VD serum concentration in UC patients (r = 0.35, P = 0.02), with a trend towards significance in CD patients (r = 0.17, P = 0.06). In the winter/spring period, VD-insufficient patients (< 30 ng/mL) had a significantly lower mean sIBDQ score than VD-sufficient patients; this was true of both UC (48.3 ± 2.3 vs 56.7 ± 3.4, P = 0.04) and CD (55.7 ± 1.25 vs 60.8 ± 2.14, P = 0.04) patients. In all analyzed scenarios (UC/CD, the summer/autumn period and the winter/spring period), health related quality of life was the highest in patients with VD serum concentrations of 50-59 ng/mL. Supplementation with a median of 800 IU/d VD day did not influence VD serum concentration or the sIBDQ score.


CONCLUSIONS
VD serum concentration correlated with health related quality of life in UC and CD patients during the winter/spring period.
Tibor Hlavaty, Anna Krajcovicova, Tomas Koller, Jozef Toth, Monika Nevidanska, Martin Huorka, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Ruzinov, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Tibor
T
Hlavaty
Tibor Hlavaty, Anna Krajcovicova, Tomas Koller, Jozef Toth, Monika Nevidanska, Martin Huorka, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Ruzinov, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Anna
A
Krajcovicova
Tibor Hlavaty, Anna Krajcovicova, Tomas Koller, Jozef Toth, Monika Nevidanska, Martin Huorka, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Ruzinov, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Tomas
T
Koller
Tibor Hlavaty, Anna Krajcovicova, Tomas Koller, Jozef Toth, Monika Nevidanska, Martin Huorka, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Ruzinov, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Jozef
J
Toth
Tibor Hlavaty, Anna Krajcovicova, Tomas Koller, Jozef Toth, Monika Nevidanska, Martin Huorka, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Ruzinov, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Monika
M
Nevidanska
Tibor Hlavaty, Anna Krajcovicova, Tomas Koller, Jozef Toth, Monika Nevidanska, Martin Huorka, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Ruzinov, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Martin
M
Huorka
Tibor Hlavaty, Anna Krajcovicova, Tomas Koller, Jozef Toth, Monika Nevidanska, Martin Huorka, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Ruzinov, 82606 Bratislava, Slovakia.
Juraj
J
Payer
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018154:Slovakia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013997:Time Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*
D015415:Biomarkers; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D; D002112:Calcifediol
Crohn’s disease; Health related quality of life; Ulcerative colitis; Vitamin D; Vitamin D supplementation