Vitamin D supplementation improves response to antiviral treatment for recurrent hepatitis C

[Guest guest]

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1432-2277.2010.01141.x/abstract

Vitamin D supplementation improves response to antiviral treatment for recurrent

hepatitis C

e Bitetto1, Carlo Fabris1, Ezio Fornasiere1, Corrado Pipan2, Fumolo1,

rosa Cussigh1, Sara Bignulin1, Sara Cmet1, betta Fontanini1, Edmondo

Falleti1, Romina ella2, Pirisi3,4, Pierluigi Toniutto1Article first

published online: 22 JUL 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-2277.2010.01141.x

© 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 European Society for Organ

Transplantation

Issue

Transplant International

Volume 24, Issue 1, pages 43–50, January 2011

Summary

In immune-competent patients, higher vitamin D levels predicted sustained viral

response (SVR) following interferon (INF) and ribavirin therapy for chronic

hepatitis C. This study aimed to verify the influence of vitamin D serum levels

and/or vitamin D supplementation in predicting SVR rates for recurrent hepatitis

C (RHC). Forty-two consecutive patients were treated for RHC with combination

therapy with INF-α and ribavirin for 48 weeks. Vitamin D serum levels were

measured in all patients before antiviral therapy. In 15 patients oral vitamin

D3 supplementation was administered to avoid further bone loss. SVR was observed

in 13 patients; it was achieved in 1/10 severely vitamin D deficient (≤10

ng/ml) patients, in 6/20 deficient (>10 and ≤20 ng/ml) and in 6/12 with near

normal (>20 ng/ml) 25-OH vitamin D serum levels (P < 0.05). Cholecalciferol

supplementation, in the presence of a normal or near normal baseline vitamin D

concentration, (improvement of chi-square P < 0.05, odds ratio 2.22) and

possessing a genotype other than 1 (improvement of chi-square P < 0.05, odds

ratio 3.383) were the only variables independently associated to SVR. In

conclusion, vitamin D deficiency predicts an unfavourable response to antiviral

treatment of RHC. Vitamin D supplementation improves the probability of

achieving a SVR following antiviral treatment.