The Role of Vitamin D in Kidney Transplantation Outcomes: A Systematic Review
Georgios Koimtzis,
Leandros Stefanopoulos,
Verity Brooker,
Georgios Geropoulos,
Christopher G. Chalklin,
Sapna Gupta,
Eliot Carrington-Windo,
Maria Papaioannou,
Theodosios S. Papavramidis
Affiliations
Georgios Koimtzis
Cardiff Transplant Unit, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
Leandros Stefanopoulos
Lab of Computing, Medical Informatics and Biomedical Imaging Technologies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Verity Brooker
Cardiff Transplant Unit, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
Georgios Geropoulos
Department of Academic Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital Foundation Trust, 203 Fulham Rd., London SW3 6JJ, UK
Christopher G. Chalklin
Cardiff Transplant Unit, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
Sapna Gupta
Cardiff Transplant Unit, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
Eliot Carrington-Windo
Cardiff Transplant Unit, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
Maria Papaioannou
Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Theodosios S. Papavramidis
1st Propaedeutic Surgical Department, University Hospital of Thessaloniki AHEPA, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), 1st St. Kiriakidi Street, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece
The aim of this systematic review is to assess the impact of vitamin D on the outcomes of kidney transplantation and investigate whether its deficiency is associated with a negative impact. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases, as well as gray literature. Ultimately, 16 articles with an average of 255.75 patients were included in this review. These articles compared the long-term outcomes of vitamin D deficiency and/or vitamin D supplementation therapy on kidney transplant recipients by assessing various parameters. Results: Most of the included studies showed a negative effect of vitamin D deficiency on kidney transplantation by being associated with a worse graft function, higher incidence of acute rejection episodes, higher incidence of proteinuria and lower overall graft and patient survival rate. Conclusions: We suggest that patients awaiting kidney transplantation have a careful evaluation in order to assess their vitamin D status and the optimal supplementation therapy. Regular follow-up of vitamin D levels post-transplant is also suggested. Prospective studies will be needed to establish the positive effects of vitamin D supplementation therapy on kidney transplant outcomes.
