Vitamin D deficiency in cirrhosis
Vitamin D deficiency is a well reported complication in chronic cholestatic liver disease such as primary biliary cirrhosis. While the prevalence and treatment of this deficiency has been addressed in many articles over the last decades, little is known of the vitamin D status in alcoholic liver cirrhosis. A research article published on February 21, 2011 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The authors described the serum vitamin D status in a retrospective case series of patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis compared to those with primary biliary cirrhosis.
The study showed that vitamin D deficiency is more frequent and severe in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis than in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Furthermore, it indicated that the degree of liver dysfunction, rather than the aetiology of cirrhosis, dictates the risk of vitamin D deficiency.
This study emphasizes the importance of monitoring vitamin D levels in all patients with cirrhosis. However, further studies are needed to find the most favourable form of vitamin D supplementation for these patients.
Source: World Journal of Gastroenterology
Articles on the same topic
- Consortium finds chronic liver cirrhosis cluesSun, 13 Mar 2011, 18:33:21 UTC
Other sources
- Vitamin D deficiency in cirrhosisfrom Science DailyTue, 15 Mar 2011, 21:30:26 UTC
- Vitamin D deficiency in cirrhosisfrom PhysorgTue, 15 Mar 2011, 15:30:51 UTC
- Chronic liver cirrhosis clues: Study finds 15 new genetic signposts for primary biliary cirrhosisfrom Science DailyMon, 14 Mar 2011, 0:30:35 UTC
- Consortium finds chronic liver cirrhosis cluesfrom Science BlogSun, 13 Mar 2011, 20:30:41 UTC
- Consortium finds chronic liver cirrhosis cluesfrom PhysorgSun, 13 Mar 2011, 18:30:27 UTC