Vitamin D—A New Therapeutic Target in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus (DM). The present research aimed to study the impact of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level on the health status of patients with type 2 DM (T2DM) hospitalized in the “Pius Brînzeu” Emergency Clinical County University Hospital in Timisoara, Romania. Methods: The study retrospectively included 160 patients with T2DM who were clinically and biologically evaluated during hospitalization. Results: 13.1% of patients had optimal, 23.1% insufficient, and 63.8% deficient 25(OH)D values. Patients with 25(OH)D deficiency presented poorer glycemic control and were older, with higher weight, but had altered renal function, anemia, and lower iron values. Also, patients with associated neoplasia, diabetic neuropathy, cardiovascular disease (CVD), dementia, and grade 3 arterial hypertension (HTN) had lower values of 25(OH)D. An age > 55 years (sensitivity 69.9, specificity 82.5, AUROC 0.786, p 0.001) and an HbA1c > 7.7% (sensitivity 89.3, specificity 92.9, AUROC 0.938, p 0.001) predict 25(OH)D deficiency in T2DM patients. Conclusions: Vitamin D influences almost every system and organ in the body, so it should be a routine test for all patients with DM to correct the deficiency and prevent other diseases and complications.

Keywords

• vitamin D deficiency
• type 2 diabetes mellitus
• glycemic control
• diabetic polyneuropathy
• neoplasia
• cardiovascular disease