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Vitamin D deficiency and its association with fatigue and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients

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Abstract

Background

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the incidence and prevalence of a variety of neurologic disorders, including multiple sclerosis. However, available studies to date have not provided convincing evidence that vitamin D treatment improves fatigue and life quality in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Aim

To assess the relationship of vitamin D deficiency with health-related quality-of-life issues and fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients.

Methods

Vitamin D3 levels were measured in 149 multiple sclerosis patients. In patients with lower than 30 ng/mL levels, vitamin D was administered. Fatigue and health-related quality of life scores were measured at baseline and months 1, 3, 6, and 12 after the beginning of vitamin D3 administration.

Results

Among 149 patients, 90% were vitamin D deficient. After vitamin D supplementation, health-related quality of life and fatigue scores improved significantly. There was a direct association between health-related quality of life with absence of fatigue and vitamin D status at the end of study.

Conclusion

The 90% frequency of multiple sclerosis patients with vitamin D deficiency, together with the significant association of vitamin D status with the absence of fatigue and improved physical and functional well-being, points to vitamin D supplementation as a potential therapy to enhance the patient’s quality of life.

Relevance of the article for predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine

This article emphasizes that vitamin D supplementation can improve clinical outcome in multiple sclerosis patients providing immune modulation and neuroprotection. Identification and correction of vitamin D deficiency has the potential to treat the related quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, İzmir Katip Celebi University, İzmir, Turkey

    Yesim Beckmann, Sabiha Türe & Sule Uysal Duman

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  1. Yesim Beckmann
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  2. Sabiha Türe
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  3. Sule Uysal Duman
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Contributions

The authors (Yesim Beckmann and Sabiha Ture) contributed equally to the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yesim Beckmann.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval

The research did not involve any risk for the participants. All ethical guidelines were followed as required for conducting human research. The procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research, the study being approved to be run by the manager of the Izmir Katip Celebi University, where the study was conducted and by the Committee for Ethical Research of Izmir Katip Celebi University (Ethical approval number 307/2016). The research complies with the provisions of the Declaration of Helsinki. All the participants gave their informed consent for the research, and their anonymity was preserved.

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Beckmann, Y., Türe, S. & Duman, S.U. Vitamin D deficiency and its association with fatigue and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. EPMA Journal 11, 65–72 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13167-019-00191-0

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