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Vitamin D improved kidney function in transplant patients
Vitamin D supplementation could prove helpful for patients who have had a kidney transplantation, according to research published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Researcher Frank Bienaimé, MD, of the Université Paris Descartes and INSERM and Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, and colleagues examined 634 patients 2 to 4 months after renal transplantation during a 5-year period.
According to data, low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations 3 months after transplantation significantly correlated with 1,25-(OH)D (P<.001) and parathyroid hormone (P=.001) levels, but did not predict early death or graft loss. There also was no association with fibroblast growth factor-23, ionized blood calcium, phosphate or measured glomerular filtration rate.
However, low levels of 25-(OH)D were independently associated with lower measured glomerular filtration rate at 12 months (P=.001) and higher risk for interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (P=.01), researchers wrote.
“This result suggests that maintaining vitamin D concentration within the normal range would prevent renal function deterioration after renal transplantation,” Bienaimé said in a press release. “Vitamin D supplementation, a simple and inexpensive treatment, may improve transplantation outcomes.”
According to the press release, Bienaimé encourages randomized controlled trials to evaluate the potential of vitamin D supplements as they relate to the maintenance of kidney function after transplantation.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.