The discrepancy between observational and intervention studies suggests that low 25(OH)D is a marker of ill health .
Inflammatory processes involved in disease occurrence and clinical course would reduce 25(OH)D , which would explain why low vitamin D status is reported in a wide range of disorders .
In elderly people , restoration of vitamin D deficits due to ageing and lifestyle changes induced by ill health could explain why low-dose supplementation leads to slight gains in survival
Low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D ( 25[OH]D ) have been associated with many non-skeletal disorders .
However , whether low 25(OH)D is the cause or result of ill health is not known .
Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 concentrations increase during tuberculosis treatment in Tanzania.
SETTING Vitamin D deficiency is associated with susceptibility to active tuberculosis ( TB ) in many setting s. In vitro studies and studies on human volunteers showed that two of the first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs , isoniazid and rifampicin , reduce 25-hydroxy vitamin D ( 25[OH]D ) concentrations . OBJECTIVE To study changes in vitamin D status during treatment of Tanzanian hospitalised patients with pulmonary TB ( PTB ) . DESIGN We compared serum 25[OH]D concentrations in 81 Tanzanian PTB patients before and after 2 months of treatment . RESULTS Median serum 25[OH]D concentrations increased from 91 nmol/l at baseline to 101 nmol/l after 2 months of TB treatment ( median increase 6.0 nmol/l , IQR -0.7 - 25.0 , P = 0.001 ) . Median serum parathyroid hormone concentrations increased from 1.6 to 2.0 pmol/l ( median increase 0.46 , IQR -0.2 - 1.1 , P < 0.001 ) . CONCLUSION 25[OH]D serum concentrations increased during the first 2 months of TB treatment in 81 PTB patients in northern Tanzania . Improved dietary intake and increased sunlight exposure may have contributed to the increased 25[OH]D concentrations
The discrepancy between observational and intervention studies suggests that low 25(OH)D is a marker of ill health .
Inflammatory processes involved in disease occurrence and clinical course would reduce 25(OH)D , which would explain why low vitamin D status is reported in a wide range of disorders .
In elderly people , restoration of vitamin D deficits due to ageing and lifestyle changes induced by ill health could explain why low-dose supplementation leads to slight gains in survival
Low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D ( 25[OH]D ) have been associated with many non-skeletal disorders .
However , whether low 25(OH)D is the cause or result of ill health is not known .