Vitamin D Deficiency Tied to Worse Outcomes With Early Kidney Disease

FRIDAY, May 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risks for cardiovascular mortality and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in patients with early-stage disease, according to a study published online May 11 in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation.

Yanhong Lin, from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and colleagues examined the effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) deficiency on cardiovascular mortality and kidney outcomes in patients with early-stage CKD. The analysis included 9,229 adult patients with CKD (stages 1 to 3) from 19 medical centers across China (January 2000 to May 2021).

The researchers found that compared with patients having 25(OH)D ≥20 ng/mL, a there was a significantly higher risk for cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio, 1.90) and CKD progression (hazard ratio, 2.20) as well as a steeper annual decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (estimate, −7.87 percent per year) in those with serum 25(OH)D <10 ng/mL.

"In conclusion, 25(OH)D deficiency was common in patients with early-stage CKD," the authors write. "Vitamin D status should be closely monitored in patients with early CKD. Well-designed randomized clinical trials are needed to determine whether timely vitamin D supplementation can prevent cardiovascular events and loss of kidney function in patients with early-stage CKD and 25(OH)D deficiency."

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