COPD and vitamin D in a vicious circle – April 2011

Vitamin d deficiency and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a vicious circle.

Vitam Horm. 2011;86:379-99.
Janssens W, Mathieu C, Boonen S, Decramer M.
Respiratory Division, University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven, Belgium.

Vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency strongly interact with different pathogenic mechanisms in COPD.

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is

• particularly high in COPD patients,
• increases with the severity of COPD, and is
• closely associated with osteoporosis prevalence.

Adequate calcium and vitamin D supplementation in COPD patients with documented deficiencies reduces the risk for falling and osteoporotic fractures, may indirectly reduce morbidity, and may potentially prevent the further deterioration of pulmonary function.

Apart from the proven beneficial effects of vitamin D supplements on bone and muscle tissue, many epidemiological studies have putatively linked vitamin D deficiency with a higher risk for cardiovascular, inflammatory and infectious diseases, and cancer, diseases known to be associated with and to contribute significantly to the phenotypic presentation of COPD patients.

Different animal and human studies have provided considerable evidence on how vitamin D may affect these processes.

The burning question in COPD is whether prevention of vitamin D deficiency or adequate supplementation may reverse the natural course of the disease.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. PMID: 21419281

---

See Also VitminDWiki

• Search VitaminDWiki for COPD 431 items as of Dec 2014
• COPD 2X as likely if low vitamin D – review of 3 studies – March 2014
• COPD fought by Vitamin D - many studies
• 100,000 IU vitamin D monthly helped COPD patients – 2011 and 2012
• COPD – Bone Metabolism – Osteoporosis – Vitamin D appear related – Mar 2011
• Vitamin D, COPD, and Epigenertics – Aug 2011
• Crescendo of papers on Asthma, Allergy, and Vitamin D – Sept 2011
• Pneumonia elderly death 12X more likely when vitamin D less than 12 ng – 2011
• COPD patients 4X more likely to have low level of Vitamin D – June 2012
• COPD 2X as likely if low vitamin D – review of 3 studies – March 2014
• All items in category Predict Vitamin D 454 items

Diseases at bottom of the following chart are also in a vicious circle with vitamin D