Higher vitamin D levels protect against hospital-acquired bloodstream infections Higher vitamin D levels protect against hospital-acquired bloodstream infectionsSeptember 25, 2013. The October 2013 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported the finding of researchers in Boston of a protective effect for higher preadmission vitamin D levels against the acquisition of bloodstream infection during hospitalization. Kenneth B. Christopher and his associates conducted a retrospective study of 2,135 men and women whose serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured prior to admission to two Boston hospitals between 1993 and 2010. Blood samples collected 48 hours after admission were cultured for hospital-acquired bloodstream infection (HABSI), including aerobic, anaerobic and fungal cultures. Having a prehospital level vitamin D level of less than 10 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) doubled the risk of HABSI in comparison with having a level of 30 ng/mL or more. When those with levels above or below 20 ng/mL vitamin D were compared, a lower level was associated with a 70% greater adjusted risk. In their discussion, the authors attribute the current study’s findings to a decrease in innate immunity associated with reduced vitamin D levels. They remark that vitamin D is involved in the upregulation of antimicrobial peptides shown to have activity against bacteria, viruses and fungi, and add that the vitamin is needed for T cell response to infection. “Our work supports the hypothesis that better vitamin D status may play an important protective role against nosocomial infections,” they write. “Longitudinal studies are required to confirm our findings and to further investigate the mechanisms underlying these observations. If confirmed, randomized, placebo-controlled trials will be needed to determine whether vitamin D–supplementation therapy before or at the time of hospital admission might have a benefit in improving outcomes in hospitalized patients.”
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 02:46:33 +0000
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