Is there a role or target value for nutritional vitamin D in chronic kidney disease?

Abstract

Vitamin D is important for bone health in the general population but the value of vitamin D supplementation, and the role of 25-hydroxyvitamin D independently of 1,25-dihydroxyvitmain D, in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), particularly in those who require dialysis, remains uncertain. Supplementation may improve some biochemical parameters, such as reducing PTH levels in patients to CKD-stage 4 who have vitamin D deficiency; but it remains to be established whether the role of nutritional vitamin D in maintaining bone health in the general population can be extrapolated to the CKD population. There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend conclusively that nutritional vitamin D supplementation should be prescribed to individuals with CKD who have 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency, either for skeletal or non-skeletal health outcomes.

Keywords: Vitamin D deficiency; chronic kidney disease; musculoskeletal health; randomized controlled trials; supplementation.