Editorial: Vitamin D and IBD: Can We Get Over the "Causation" Hump?

Am J Gastroenterol. 2016 May;111(5):720-2. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2016.47.

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and may even precede the disease onset contributing to an increased risk. Using comprehensive data from a large, referral IBD cohort, Kabbani et al. establish that low vitamin D levels are associated with greater disease activity, increased risk of surgery and hospitalizations, and lower health-related quality of life in patients with IBD. This expands the evidence base supporting such an association. However, there is a need for this field to evolve to interventional studies with vitamin D supplementation to confirm that vitamin D has a true therapeutic role for treating disease activity in IBD.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
  • Quality of Life*
  • Vitamin D Deficiency
  • Vitamin D*

Substances

  • Vitamin D