Vitamin D Supplements for Prevention of Tuberculosis Infection and Disease
Davaasambuu Ganmaa, Ph.D., Buyanjargal Uyanga, M.D., Xin Zhou, Ph.D., Garmaa Gantsetseg, M.D., Baigali Delgerekh, M.D., Davaasambuu Enkhmaa, Ph.D., Dorjnamjil Khulan, M.D., Saranjav Ariunzaya, M.D., Erdenebaatar Sumiya, B.Sc., Batbileg Bolortuya, M.D., Jutmaan Yanjmaa, Ph.D., Tserenkhuu Enkhtsetseg, M.D., et al.
Approx half of those getting vitamin D had <30 ng.
Only rarely does< 30 ng vitamin D help any health problem
TB and Intrvention:
- Spinal TB surgery now includes Vitamin D as the standard of care (5,000 IU daily) – Sept 2024
- TB treatment helped by the addition of Vitamin D (100,000 IU bi-weekly) – RCT April 2024
- Tuberculosis not prevented by a tiny amount of vitamin D (equiv to 1,400 IU daily) – RCT May 2023
- Tuberculosis treatment helped a bit by a bit of Vitamin D - RCT Feb 2022
- TB not prevented by a small amount of Vitamin D (2,000 IU daily average, Mongolia) – RCT July 2020
- TB not treated by vitamin D given for only 2 months – RCT Sept 2017
- Tuberculosis recovery speeded up by single 450,000 IU dose of vitamin D – RCT Jan 2017
- Tuberculosis treatment greatly helped by injection of 200,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT April 2016
- Tuberculosis -100 percent cure rate with 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily – RCT 2006
- Tuberculosis not treated by lots of vitamin D for 16 weeks – RCT Sept 2015
- Every TB patient benefited from 2 doses of 600,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT Jan 2013
- TB treatment helped with Vitamin D – RCT Sept 2012
- Probability of getting TB reduced 60 percent with just 800 IU of vitamin D – RCT Aug 2012
- Overview Tuberculosis and Vitamin D
- Evaluating the vitamin D evidence - Heaney Dec 2010
TB and Meta-analysis:
- Latent Tuberculosis 44 percent less likely if Vitamin D more than 30 ng - 14th meta-analysis Jan 2022
- Those with TB were 3.2 X more likely to have low vitamin D – 13th meta-analysis Sept 2021
- Tuberculosis still associated with low vitamin D – 12th meta-analysis June 2021
- Tuberculosis 3X more likely if less than 12 ng of Vitamin D - meta-analysis Sept 2019
- Tuberculosis increased risk if poor Vitamin D receptor varies by race – meta-analysis Feb 2019
- Tuberculosis (multi-drug resistant) was 13.4 X more likely to be quickly cleared with Vitamin D - Meta-analysis Feb 2019
- Catching Tuberculosis from family member 2 X more likely if low vitamin D – meta-analysis Dec 2018
- Tuberculosis in children 1.7 X more likely if low vitamin D – meta-analysis Aug 2018
- Low vitamin D is a risk factor for tuberculosis – meta-analysis Dec 2016
- Tuberculosis 1.3 times more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – meta-analysis Oct 2016
- Tuberculosis 4.5X more likely if vitamin D less than 10 nanogram – meta-analysis May 2015
- Tuberculosis, genes and vitamin D – Meta-Analysis Dec 2013
- TB associated with low vitamin D in a review and meta-analysis – 2008
- TB and vitamin D updated review and meta-analysis – plays a role Jan 2010
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BACKGROUND
Vitamin D metabolites support innate immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Data from phase 3, randomized, controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation to prevent tuberculosis infection are lacking.
METHODS
We randomly assigned children who had negative results for M. tuberculosis infection according to the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT) to receive a weekly oral dose of either 14,000 IU of vitamin D3 or placebo for 3 years. The primary outcome was a positive QFT result at the 3-year follow-up, expressed as a proportion of children. Secondary outcomes included the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level at the end of the trial and the incidence of tuberculosis disease, acute respiratory infection, and adverse events.
RESULTS
A total of 8851 children underwent randomization: 4418 were assigned to the vitamin D group, and 4433 to the placebo group; 95.6% of children had a baseline serum 25(OH)D level of less than 20 ng per milliliter. Among children with a valid QFT result at the end of the trial, the percentage with a positive result was 3.6% (147 of 4074 children) in the vitamin D group and 3.3% (134 of 4043) in the placebo group (adjusted risk ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.87 to 1.38; P=0.42). The mean 25(OH)D level at the end of the trial was 31.0 ng per milliliter in the vitamin D group and 10.7 ng per milliliter in the placebo group (mean between-group difference, 20.3 ng per milliliter; 95% CI, 19.9 to 20.6). Tuberculosis disease was diagnosed in 21 children in the vitamin D group and in 25 children in the placebo group (adjusted risk ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.55). A total of 29 children in the vitamin D group and 34 in the placebo group were hospitalized for treatment of acute respiratory infection (adjusted risk ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.52 to 1.40). The incidence of adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Vitamin D supplementation did not result in a lower risk of tuberculosis infection, tuberculosis disease, or acute respiratory infection than placebo among vitamin D–deficient schoolchildren in Mongolia. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02276755. opens in new tab.)