Findings published online in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, suggest seasonal fluctuations in vitamin D and HBV levels point to a link in these variables among patients with chronic HBV.
While highly effective vaccines are available, HBV still remains one of the most significant infectious diseases in the world.
‘Evidence’
“Vitamin D helps maintain a healthy immune system and there is evidence of its role in inflammatory and metabolic liver disease, including infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV),” said lead investigator Dr. Christian Lange from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Hospital in Frankfurt.
Between January 2009 and December 2010, the team recruited 203 patients with chronic HBV who had not previously received treatment for their infection.
Results show that 34% of participants had severe vitamin D deficiency, 47% had vitamin D insufficiency and 19% had normal levels of vitamin D.
“These findings differ from research of patients with chronic hepatitis C, which found no connection between vitamin D levels and concentration of HCV in the blood,” added Dr Lange.