Health & Fitness - Vitamin D lack linked to IBD, liver disease

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Vitamin D lack linked to IBD, liver disease

MILWAUKEE (UPI) -- Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and chronic liver disease, U.S. researchers say.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin investigated whether Vitamin D deficiency in patients with inflammatory bowel disease is associated with a lower quality of life or higher disease activity independent of other known risk factors and medication use.

This study conducted by Dr. Alex Ulitsky and his colleagues analyzed Vitamin D levels of 504 inflammatory bowel disease patients and recorded the patients' lowest Vitamin D measurements.

Ulitsky and his team found almost 50 percent of the patients were Vitamin D deficient at some point, with 11 percent being severely deficient.

Researchers from the University of Tennessee in Memphis measured the Vitamin D levels of 118 chronic liver disease patients. Researchers found 92.4 percent of chronic liver patients had some degree of Vitamin D deficiency and at least one-third were severely deficient. Severe Vitamin D deficiency was more common among cirrhotics.

"Since deficiency is common among these patients, Vitamin D replacement may hopefully prevent osteoporosis and other bone complications related to end stage liver disease," said lead researcher Dr. Satheesh P. Nair.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 10/07/2008

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