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Vitamin D Deficiency Associated with Disease Activity in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Digestive Diseases and Sciences volume 60, pages 3085–3091 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Evidence exists on the association between vitamin D deficiency and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Aims

To investigate whether vitamin D level is associated with disease activity and quality of life in IBD patients.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on known adult IBD patients referred to an outpatient clinic of gastroenterology in Isfahan city, Iran. Disease activity was evaluated using the Simplified Crohn’s Disease Activity Index and Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index. Quality of life was assessed with the Short-Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire. Serum 25[OH]D was measured using the radioimmunoassay method. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were defined as concentration of <50 and 50–75 nmol/L, respectively.

Results

Studied subjects were 85 ulcerative colitis and 48 Crohn’s disease patients (54.1 % females) with mean age of 42.0 ± 14.0 years. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were present in 52 (39.0 %) and 24 (18.0 %) patients, respectively. Thirty patients (22.5 %) had active disease who, compared with patients in remission, had more frequent low vitamin D levels (80 vs. 50.4 %, P = 0.005). Quality of life was not different between patients with low and those with normal vitamin D levels (P = 0.693). In the logistic regression model, low vitamin D was independently associated with active disease status, OR (95 % CI) = 5.959 (1.695–20.952).

Conclusions

We found an association between vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency and disease activity in IBD patients. Prospective cohorts and clinical trials are required to clarify the role of vitamin D deficiency and its treatment in clinical course of IBD.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The sponsor had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the manuscript, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Author’s contributions were as follows: AGh and MHE participated in study conception and design. MT prepared the grant proposal. All authors participated in data collection and primary analysis. AGh performed statistical analysis. MT, AGh, and MHE participated in data analysis interpretation. MT, AGh, and LM prepared the manuscript draft. All authors studied, revised, and approved the final version of manuscript.

Conflicts of interest

There is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mehdi Torki & Mohammad Hassan Emami

  2. Poursina Hakim Research Institute, Sheikh Mofid Avenue, Isfahan, Iran

    Mehdi Torki, Ali Gholamrezaei & Mohammad Hassan Emami

  3. Medical Students’ Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Ali Gholamrezaei, Leila Mirbagher, Manijeh Danesh & Sara Kheiri

Authors
  1. Mehdi Torki
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  2. Ali Gholamrezaei
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Correspondence to Ali Gholamrezaei.

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Torki, M., Gholamrezaei, A., Mirbagher, L. et al. Vitamin D Deficiency Associated with Disease Activity in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Dig Dis Sci 60, 3085–3091 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-015-3727-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-015-3727-4

Keywords

  • Vitamin D
  • 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
  • Inflammatory bowel diseases
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Quality of life