title: Influence of vitamin D on liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the pooled clinical trials data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between vitamin D and liver fibrosis in hepatitis C-monoinfected or hepatitis C virus (HCV)-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infected patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pertinent studies were located by a library literature search in PubMed/Embase/Cochrane/Scopus/LILACS by two individual reviewers. Inclusion criteria: (1) studies with patients with HCV or co-infected HCV/HIV; (2) studies with patients ≥ 18 years old; (3) studies that evaluated liver fibrosis stage, only based on liver biopsy; and (4) studies that reported serum or plasma 25(OH)D levels. Studies that included pediatric patients, other etiologies of liver disease, or did not use liver biopsy for fibrosis evaluation, or studies with inadequate data were excluded. Estimated measures of association reported in the literature, as well as corresponding measures of uncertainty, were recorded and corresponding odds ratios with 95%CI were included in a meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pooled data of this systematic review showed that 9 of the 12 studies correlated advanced liver disease defined as a Metavir value of F3/4 with 25(OH) D level insufficiency. The meta-analysis indicated a significant association across studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low vitamin D status is common in chronic Hepatitis C patients and is associated with advanced liver fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Alia S Dadabhai, Behnam Saberi, Katie Lobner, Gerard E Mullin, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
authors.forename: Alia S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Dadabhai
authors.affiliation: Alia S Dadabhai, Behnam Saberi, Katie Lobner, Gerard E Mullin, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
authors.forename: Behnam
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Saberi
authors.affiliation: Alia S Dadabhai, Behnam Saberi, Katie Lobner, Gerard E Mullin, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lobner
authors.affiliation: Alia S Dadabhai, Behnam Saberi, Katie Lobner, Gerard E Mullin, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
authors.forename: Russell T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.affiliation: Alia S Dadabhai, Behnam Saberi, Katie Lobner, Gerard E Mullin, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, United States.
authors.forename: Gerard E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Mullin
keywords: Chronic hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus; Liver fibrosis; Vitamin D