Vitamin D Status and the Host Resistance to Infections: What It Is Currently (Not) Understood

Abstract

To understand the future of vitamin D with respect to clinical applications in the prevention and better control of infectious diseases, it is necessary to determine all aspects of vitamin D metabolism, as well as the mechanisms by which active forms interact with the immune system globally. For the most part, we are unable to identify tissue-specific applications of supplementation except for those subjects at high risk of osteomalacia and osteoporosis.

Association of polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene with severity of hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by enterovirus 71

“…Our results imply that risk of severe HFMD may reflect the combined influence of environmental factors (vitamin D levels) and genetic background (mutations in the VDR gene). This may also apply to other infections linked to VDR polymorphisms, including a Fok I/ Taq I/ Bsm I restriction fragment length polymorphism in the 3′‐UTR . It may also help explain why studies have come to conflicting conclusions about the impact of vitamin D deficiency on the development of several infectious and metabolic diseases.…”

“…Numerous studies have linked vitamin D deficiency with the development of respiratory tract infections, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune diseases in children . Neonates with low vitamin D levels are at significantly higher risk of developing acute lower respiratory tract infection than normal neonates, and 25‐dihydroxyvitamin D levels in neonatal umbilical cord blood negatively correlate with respiratory infections .…”

“…Many epidemiological and preclinical studies indicate a beneficial effect of vitamin D on the incidence of infectious disease and associated mortality . Numerous studies have confirmed that vitamin D deficiency is associated with the development of respiratory infections, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune diseases in children . A recent study confirmed that vitamin D levels are significantly lower in patients with HFMD .…”

Vitamins C and D

“…His Update focuses on the all-important role of vitamin D in immunity. [30][31][32][33][34][35] Richard I. Shader, MD Editor-in-Chief…”

Serum Vitamin D Levels in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes: A Retrospective Single-Center Analysis

“…Vitamin D (VD) is increasingly thought to play a role in regulating immunity [9,10]. Particularly, VD deficiency has been largely documented in various autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune thrombocytopenia, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases [11,12].…”