Current data support vitamin D intervention for tuberculosis and viral respiratory tract infections

Translating the role of vitamin D(3) in infectious diseases.

Crit Rev Microbiol. 2012 Feb 5.
Khoo AL, Chai L, Koenen H, Joosten I, Netea M, van der Ven A.
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory Medical Immunology , Nijmegen , Netherlands.

Vitamin D(3) affects both the innate as well as adaptive immune responses. Epidemiological studies have established that vitamin D(3) deficiency plays an important role in tuberculosis (TB) and viral influenza prevalence as well as susceptibility to active disease in TB. Vitamin D(3) status has been associated with the clinical course of HIV infection and drug interaction with anti-retroviral therapy.

This article reviews the immunomodulatory capacity of vitamin D(3) and examines the impact of vitamin D(3) supplementation as a preventive or therapeutic intervention with the intent to uncover its potential therapeutic application in infectious diseases and to identify novel areas for future research.

We present a review of randomized, controlled clinical studies conducted in humans which included assessment of the immune function or clinical outcome as study end points.

Current data support vitamin D(3) supplementation as risk-modifying intervention in tuberculosis and viral respiratory tract infection, but the optimal dosage regimen remains to be determined.

However, to date the knowledge on its role in fungal infection and sepsis is limited although a potential benefit could be harnessed from its ability to curtail the unrestrained pro-inflammatory response and therefore prevent excessive collateral tissue damage.

PMID: 22304022
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

See also VitaminDWiki

• All items in Immunity and Vitamin D 275 items
• All items in category Breathing 455 items
• Evidence that vitamin D reduces risk of viral infection – Dec 2010 Grant, etc.
• Additional 4 ng of vitamin D reduced chance of infection by 7 percent – June 2011
• The difference between a prophet and a madman – by Dr. Cannell Nov 2011 comment on previous article
• How to reduce probability of getting the Flu with Vitamin D
• Lack of Vitamin D reduces lung volume – Feb 2011
• Overview Influenza and vitamin D
• Reduced viral respiratory track infections by half by having more than 38 ng of vitamin D – June 2010
• Overview Asthma and Vitamin D
• An update on vitamin D and human immunity – Oct 2011
• Overview Tuberculosis and Vitamin D
• Vitamin D helps T-cell and immune system – overview Aug 2011
• Lung and Vitamin D – Special Issue Dec 2011
• Immune system and vitamin D patent 2008
• Crescendo of papers on Asthma, Allergy, and Vitamin D – Sept 2011 which has the following graph