Vitamin D Supplementation Reduces Flare-Ups of Lung Disease

Highlights:

Supplementation of vitamin D in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients reduces the risk of acute and serious aggravations of their lung condition, triggered by viral infections such as the common cold
Many COPD patients also have associated vitamin D deficiency; this subset of COPD patients is at higher risk of acute flare-ups and benefit from vitamin D supplementation
COPD is a chronic lung disease marked by breathing difficulties and affects over 170 million people worldwide, with an estimated 3.2 million deaths in 2015

Vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of lung attacks in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, supplementing vitamin D can significantly reduce the risk of acute aggravations of their lung condition, according to a recent study conducted at the Queen Mary University of London.

The findings add to the growing list of benefits of vitamin D traditionally known to improve bone health. The study results appear in the journal Thorax.

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‘Supplementation of vitamin D in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who are deficient reduces risk of potentially life-threatening aggravations of their lung disease.’
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Vitamin D Deficiency in COPD Patients

The study team estimated that nearly 1.2 million COPD patients are in the UK, with about 30,000 deaths per year and places a huge burden on the healthcare system. Additionally, nearly 20 percent of COPD patients (240,000) have low vitamin D levels.

Supplementation of vitamin D in this subgroup of COPD patients at risk of flare-ups of lung attacks is a simple and inexpensive way to protect them as well as reduce healthcare costs in an already overburdened system.

Professor Adrian Martineau from Queen Mary University of London, said: "Vitamin

D supplementation is safe, and it costs just a few pence to supplement a person for a year - so this is a potentially highly cost-effective treatment that could be targeted at those who have low vitamin D levels following routine testing.”

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Role of Vitamin D in reducing Lung Attacks in COPD Patients

Until now, studies investigating the role of vitamin D supplementation on COPD patients have turned up conflicting results. By putting together all the individual patient data from the various clinical trials, the study team sought to determine whether vitamin D might confer a beneficial effect on a specific subgroup of COPD patients.

The study obtained data of 469 patients from three clinical trials in the UK, Netherlands and Belgium
Analysis of data revealed that vitamin D supplements orally, reduced the risk of moderate/severe COPD flare-ups in patients (by 45%) with low levels of vitamin D (less than 25 nmol/l or 10 ng/ml)
The dose of vitamin D varied from 30 micrograms daily to 2500 micrograms monthly. Amount of supplementation did not affect or cause any undue side effects in the patients suggesting that it was safe
Giving vitamin D supplementation to patients who did not have such low vitamin D levels did not show a reduced risk of flare-ups

The findings of the study suggest that the vitamin D supplementation needs to be a targeted therapy and doctors must first perform blood levels of vitamin D in COPD patients to determine those who are deficient and would thus benefit the most from vitamin D supplementation

The findings of the current study echo earlier studies by this team which found that vitamin D supplementation had the most beneficial effect in protecting against attacks of asthma, cold and flu in patients who were initially vitamin D deficient, to begin with.

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Summary

Supplementation of vitamin D in COPD patients who are vitamin D deficient reduces their risk of acute lung attacks by nearly 45 percent. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D by the Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is 10 micrograms.

Reference:

Vitamin D to prevent exacerbations of COPD: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data from randomised controlled trials - (http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2018-212092)

Source-Medindia

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