The Effect of Vitamin D Deficiency in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that Vitamin D Deficiency (VDD) worsens lung functions and COPD lowers vitamin D levels, but this has not been proven yet.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out between January 2014 and September 2015. All the COPD patients with 25 (OH) D3 measurements were included in this study. The patients < 40-year-old, or with a smoking history of less than 10 package-year, or with asthma, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, cancer, were excluded from the study. Medical records about age, gender, pulmonary function test, body mass index (BMI), annual exacerbations/hospitalizations, modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) level and serum 25 (OH) D3 were obtained.

RESULTS: The data of 216 (83.8% male) patients were examined in the study. The mean age was 66.88 ± 10.3 years. The mean vitamin D level was 21.1 ± 13.73 ng/mL. Of the patients, 57.9% had VDD, and even 19.9% were in severe VDD. Only 26.4% had adequate vitamin D level. There was a significant in BMI, FEV1, FVC, annual exacerbation and hospitalisations between the patients with vitamin D levels > 20 ng / mL and ≤ 20 ng / mL. Vitamin D level of patients with mMRC level 1 was significantly higher than those with mMRC 2, 3, 4 (respectively P = .03; P = .026; P = .014).

CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that lung function was worse in COPD patients with VDD and VDD increased with increasing severity of COPD.