Vitamin D (VD) deficiency has been associated with clinical outcomes in patients with chronic liver disease. This study aims to identify the prevalence of VD deficiency in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and its association with treatment response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), cirrhosis development, and liver-related events (mortality and liver transplantation). Two hundred and fifty-five patients with PBC diagnosis were evaluated. Patients with VD levels below 50 nmol/L were defined as deficient. Treatment response to UDCA was defined according to the Toronto criteria. Independent risk factors were identified using binary logistic and Cox regression analysis. The mean level of serum VD was 77 ± 39 nmol/L, and 64 patients (25%) were VD deficient. Incomplete response to UDCA was more prevalent in VD-deficient patients compared to their counterparts (45% vs. 22%; p < 0.001). The risk of cirrhosis development (hazard ratio (HR) 1.93; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–3.19, p = 0.01) and liver-related mortality or need for liver transplantation (HR 3.33, 95% CI, 1.57–7.07, p = 0.002) was higher in VD-deficient patients after adjusting for confounders. Vitamin D deficiency is frequent in patients with PBC and is associated with incomplete response to UDCA, cirrhosis development, and liver-related mortality or need for liver transplantation.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with adverse events in various liver diseases. The present study aimed to recognize the association between severe vitamin D deficiency and disease progression, hepatobiliary malignancies, liver-related mortality, and the need for liver transplantation in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Patients with a diagnosis of PSC (n = 354), followed by the autoimmune liver disease clinic at the University of Alberta, were included. Patients with vitamin D levels < 25 nmol/L were defined as severely deficient. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the Cox proportional hazards regression models. The mean vitamin D level was 59 ± 2 nmol/L, and 63 patients (18%) had a severe vitamin D deficiency. Patients with a severe vitamin D deficiency were 2.5 times more likely to experience hepatobiliary malignancies (HR 2.55, 95% CI, 1.02–6.40, p = 0.046). A severe vitamin D deficiency at diagnosis (HR 1.82, 95% CI, 1.05–3.15, p = 0.03) and persistent deficiencies over time (HR 2.26, 95% CI, 1.17–4.37, p = 0.02) were independently associated with a higher risk of poor clinical liver outcomes. A severe vitamin D deficiency at diagnosis and persistent deficiency at longitudinal assessments were associated with liver-related mortality or the need for liver transplantation.
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