Introduction: Serum concentration of vitamin D is associated with the severity of liver disease, and, as the liver disease progresses, its level is reduced. Many studies have investigated serum levels of vitamin D in cholestatic liver diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis and alcohol-related liver diseases. Data on the vitamin D level in patients with liver cirrhosis are inadequate. The general objective of this study was to determine serum vitamin D levels in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, cirrhosis diagnosis was conducted based on stable clinical and paraclinical symptoms, serological markers of hepatitis and liver enzymes, and liver biopsy on patient referred to Shahid Mohammadi Hospital in Bandar Abbas in 2015. The severity of cirrhosis in these patients was determined according to Child-Pugh (CHILD) classification and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score. Vitamin D lower than 50 nmol / L equal to 20ng / ml was considered as vitamin D deficiency; data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS 21.0 statistical software and using descriptive statistics, independent student t-test, chi-square, and Pearson test.
Results: Seventy-eight patients (43.3%) were in the case group, and 102 cases (56.7%) were in the control group. The mean age of the patients participating in the study was 48.45 years. Among them, 124 patients (68.9%) were male and 56 (31.1%) were female. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C, each with 22 patients (28.9%), were the most common cause of cirrhosis in our patients. The mean duration of disease in patients participating in the study was 48.42 ± 12.31 months. The frequency of CHILD classes was, respectively, 32 patients (41%) in class A, 33 patients (42.3%) in class B, and 13 patients (16.7%) in class C. Vitamin D levels were significantly higher in the control group (P <0.001). There was an adverse relationship between the score on the Child-Pugh, MELD, and levels of vitamin D (P <0.001).
Conclusion: Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in cirrhotic patients; further, if the severity of cirrhosis is higher, vitamin D levels are lower. According to our results, it is recommended to check the vitamin D levels in cirrhotic patients and treatment in vitamin D deficiency cases.
