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. 2024 Nov 26;16(23):4061.
doi: 10.3390/nu16234061.

Relationship Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Adults: A Systematic Review

José Luís Alonso-Pérez  1   2 , Iker Martínez-Pérez  1 , Carlos Romero-Morales  1 , Vanesa Abuín-Porras  1 , Ruben López-Bueno  3   4   5 , Giacomo Rossettini  1 , Massimiliano Leigheb  6 , Jorge Hugo Villafañe  1   2
Affiliations

Relationship Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Adults: A Systematic Review

José Luís Alonso-Pérez et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background/objectives: Chronic pain impacts approximately 18% of the Spanish population, with low levels of vitamin D prevalent in over 80% of individuals over 65. Given vitamin D's critical role in pain modulation, its deficiency may be significantly linked to chronic musculoskeletal pain, though existing research offers mixed results.

Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, examining studies from PubMed, Cochrane, and PEDRO databases from 1990 onwards that investigated the relationship between vitamin D levels and chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Results: A total of 30 studies met the inclusion criteria set by the NHLBI's quality standards. The results are inconclusive regarding the direct relationship between vitamin D levels and chronic musculoskeletal pain due to evidence heterogeneity. However, there appears to be an inverse relationship between vitamin D levels and the intensity of pain.

Conclusions: While the association between vitamin D levels and chronic musculoskeletal pain remains uncertain, the inverse correlation with pain intensity suggests a potential therapeutic role of vitamin D supplementation in pain management. Further research is needed to substantiate these findings and refine intervention strategies.

Keywords: chronic pain; fibromyalgia; musculoskeletal pain; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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