The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Pulmonary Function of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients, before and after Clinical Trial
Diseases 2015, 3(4), 253-259; doi:10.3390/diseases3040253 (registering DOI)
Seyed Ali Javad Moosavi 1 and Maryam Haddadzadeh Shoushtari 2,*
1 Department of Pulmonary, Iran University of Medical Sciences
2 Department of Pulmonary, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz 61357, Iran
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Vitamin D has several extra calcemic effects. Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients but little is known about it’s association with lung function.
Objective: To investigate whether supplementation with vitamin D could improve pulmonary function in COPD patients. Design: Before and after, double center, clinical trial. Setting: Hazrat Rasoul University Hospital, Tehran, and Imam Khomaini University Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran.
Participants: 24 patients with mild to very severe COPD. Intervention: Loading dose of 300,000–600,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D, then 50000 IU weekly for 12 weeks.
Measurements: The outcomes included forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), vital capacity (VC), forced expiratory flow between 25%–75% of forced vital capacity (FEF 25%–75%), exercise capacity according to the six minute walk test(6MWT) and the saturation of oxygen during exercise.
Results: The mean FEV1 (p-value = 0.866), FVC (p-value = 0.475) and VC (p-value = 0.425) were not significantly different before and after intervention. FEF 25%–75% did not improve with this intervention (p-value = 0.555). The vitamin D supplementation did not have any significant effect on the exercise capacity (p-value=0.175) or the saturation of oxygen (p-value = 0.635).
Conclusion: Pulmonary function and exercise capacity did not improve with vitamin D supplementation in COPD patients.