title: Vitamin D deficiency in patients with liver cirrhosis.
abstract: There is ongoing evidence that vitamin D is related to the pathophysiology of cirrhosis. Although the incidence of vitamin D deficiency in chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis is strongly documented, its pathogenic association with advanced liver fibrosis remains controversial. There is evidence of a significant relation of 25(OH)D levels with the degree of liver dysfunction, considering that an inverse correlation of 25(OH)D levels with both Child-Pugh score and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease has been reported. In addition, vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase the risk for overall mortality and infections in patients with cirrhosis. Vitamin D deficiency has been also associated with advanced stages of hepatocellular carcinoma and poor prognosis. Finally, there are studies suggesting that patients with chronic hepatitis C and normal vitamin D levels have higher virological response to treatment. However, there are not enough studies conducted in cirrhotic-only populations. The association between vitamin D and cirrhosis demonstrates a great potential for clinical application. The relation between vitamin D deficiency and the degree of liver function, degree of fibrosis and infectious complications could support its use as a prognostic index and a diagnostic tool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Konstantakis
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tselekouni
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalafateli
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Triantos
keywords: Vitamin D; liver cirrhosis; prognosis; vitamin D deficiency; vitamin D insufficiency