Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency on Sepsis

Abstract

A prospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effect of vitamin D deficiency on sepsis. A total of 129 patients were enrolled. The median age was 74 years old, with a median SOFA score of 7; septic shock was observed in 60 patients. The median vitamin D level in the overall population was 13 ng/mL. A total of 96 patients had vitamin D deficiency, whereas 62 patients were described to have severe vitamin D deficiency. Severe vitamin D deficiency significantly increased the 14-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 2.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–6.43; p = 0.043), 28-day mortality (aHR 2.28; 95% CI: 1.17–4.45; p = 0.016), and in-hospital mortality (aHR 2.11; 95% CI: 1.02–4.36; p = 0.044). In Kaplan–Meier analysis, the severe vitamin D deficiency group had significantly higher 14-day and 28-day mortality rates compared with the non-deficient group. Evaluating the vitamin D levels in sepsis patients may become necessary in an aging society. Severe vitamin D deficiency can independently affect poor prognosis related to sepsis. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether vitamin D supplementation in sepsis patients with vitamin D deficiency can help improve the prognosis of sepsis in addition to improving bone mineral metabolism.