Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Recent studies have suggested extensive associations between plasma levels of vitamin D and hepatobiliary diseases including viral hepatitis B or C. In hepatitis C, vitamin D deficiency may lead to a poor prognosis and a poor response to antiviral treatment. CHB has different pathophysiology. There has been no study on the association of vitamin D level and the ALT level in CHB patients, and it is not known whether vitamin D levels are associated with host response to hepatitis B infection.

Aims: To determine the association between serum 25-OH vitamin D3 levels and the severity of chronic hepatitis B based on HBV viral load and ALT levels in chronic HBV infected patients.

Method: One hundred seventy patients who visited the clinic at New York Downtown Hospital between November 4, 2010 and May 30, 2011 and due for other laboratory testing were screened for serum 25-OH vitamin D3. Thirty four Chinese-American patients were with non-cirrhotic CHB. Serum calcium, TSH, and phosphorus were also collected. Student t-test was used for the group comparison analysis. Correlation was analyzed using GraphPad Prism software.

Results: See Fig.1. More than 80% of our ethnic Chinese patient population had vitamin D levels lower than normal (<30 ng/ml). The mean vitamin D level (ng/ml) was 23.7±8.69 in non-CHB patients and 22.9±8.6 in CHB patients. The correlation between Vit D levels and ALT levels were, for all 170 patients: Pearson r=0.1664 (95%CI −0.0015–0.00), P>0.05 (not significant), and for 34 hepatitis B patients: Pearson r=−0.027 (95%CI − 0.3668 – 0.30), P>0.05 (not significant).

Discussion: The mean level of vitamin D in CHB patients was as low in non-CHB patients in this patient population. Apparently there is no correlation between vitamin D levels and CHB severity based on ALT levels in non-cirrhotic patients.

Figure 1.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.