| Theme |
A new aspect of vitamin D |
| Title |
Vitamin D and survival of patients with chronic kidney disease |
| Author |
Tetsuo Shoji |
Department of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine |
| Author |
Yoshiki Nishizawa |
Department of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
The deficiency of active forms of vitamin D in cases of uremia may explain various abnormalities in biological functions and survival disadvantages in this disease condition, because vitamin D receptors are expressed not only in the classical target organs but also in other non-classical targets including arteries, heart, immune system, endocrine organs, and nervous system. Treatment with vitamin D had beneficial effects on cardiac and immune functions in dialysis patients. We found that patients on a low-dose of oral alfacalcidol showed a significantly lower risk for cardiovascular death than those without vitamin D supplementation. Although these observations need further confirmation by randomized controlled studies, appropriate use of active forms of vitamin D may improve outcomes of patients with chronic kidney disease. |