Infectious diseases and vitamin D – update May 2015

An update on the association of vitamin D deficiency with common infectious diseases.

Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2015 May;93(5):363-8. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2014-0352. Epub 2015 Jan 26.
Watkins RR1, Lemonovich TL, Salata RA.
1Department of Internal Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA., Division of Infectious Diseases, Akron General Medical Center, Akron, OH 44302, USA.

Vitamin D plays an important role in modulating the immune response to infections. Deficiency of vitamin D is a common condition, affecting both the general population and patients in health care facilities. Over the last decade, an increasing body of evidence has shown an association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk for acquiring several infectious diseases, as well as poorer outcomes in vitamin D deficient patients with infections.
This review details recent developments in understanding the role of vitamin D in

• immunity,
• the antibacterial actions of vitamin D,
• the association between vitamin D deficiency and common infections
  (like sepsis, pneumonia, influenza, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,
  human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV))
• potential therapeutic implications for vitamin D replacement, and
• future research directions.

PMID: 25741906
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Cited in Google Scholar by 9 publications as of April 2016

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