Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of bacterial infections after kidney transplantation.
- Author:
Young Jae PARK
1
;
Sang Un KIM
;
Kyung Hee LEE
;
Jong Hak LEE
;
Eugene KWON
;
Hee Yeon JUNG
;
Ji Young CHOI
;
Jang Hee CHO
;
Sun Hee PARK
;
Yong Lim KIM
;
Hyung Kee KIM
;
Seung HUH
;
Chan Duck KIM
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Vitamin D deficiency; Kidney transplantation; Bacterial infections
- MeSH: Allografts; Bacterial Infections*; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Kidney Transplantation*; Kidney*; Risk Factors; Transplant Recipients; Urinary Tract Infections; Vitamin D Deficiency*; Vitamin D*; Vitamins*
- From:The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine 2017;32(3):505-513
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: BACKGROUND/AIMS: There may be an association between vitamin D levels and allograft outcomes in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). However, few studies have been conducted to determine the association between vitamin D levels and post-transplant infections. This study investigated the impact of vitamin D deficiency on the risk of infection after kidney transplantation. METHODS: We measured 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels prior to kidney transplantation. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a serum 25(OH)D level < 20 ng/mL. We examined the incidence of various post-transplant infections during follow-up period. We used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to determine factors associated with increased risk of post-transplant infections during the follow-up period. RESULTS: A total of 164 KTRs were followed up for a mean of 24.8 ± 10.7 months. Among them, 135 patients (82.3%) had vitamin D deficiency. Patients with vitamin D deficiency had a significantly higher incidence of urinary tract infection (p = 0.027) and any bacterial infection (p = 0.010) compared to those without vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was not significantly associated with incidence of viral or fungal infections. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that vitamin D deficiency (hazard ratio, 11.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.46 to 84.03; p = 0.020) was independent risk factor for post-transplant bacterial infections. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-transplant vitamin D deficiency was a significant risk factor for bacterial infections after kidney transplantation. Further studies are needed on possible benefits of vitamin D supplementation for preventing post-transplant bacterial infection.
