Failure of High-Dose Ergocalciferol to Correct Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

• Published in: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2005-07, Vol.172 (2), p.212-217
• Main Authors: Boyle, Michael P, Noschese, Michelle L, Watts, Sharon L, Davis, Marsha E, Stenner, Shane E, Lechtzin, Noah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Cystic Fibrosis - complications; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; E. Cystic Fibrosis; Emergency and intensive respiratory care; Ergocalciferols - administration & dosage; Ergocalciferols - therapeutic use; Female; Humans; Intensive care medicine; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Respiratory system; Retreatment; Seasons; Treatment Failure; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - drug therapy; Vitamin D Deficiency - etiology
• ISSN: 1073-449X; 1535-4970
• DOI: 10.1164/rccm.200403-387OC

Treatment guidelines for vitamin D monitoring and supplementation in cystic fibrosis (CF) have recently been developed and published by a consensus committee, but have not been prospectively tested. To use these guidelines to determine the percentage of adults with CF requiring vitamin D repletion therapy and to evaluate the effectiveness of the currently recommended high-dose oral ergocalciferol repletion protocol. Prospective study of clinical outcomes after therapy with the recommended vitamin D repletion algorithm. Of 134 adults with CF, 109 (81.3%) were found to have 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels below the recommended 30 ng/ml. Sixty-six of these adults completed the recommended course of 400,000 IU of oral ergocalciferol over 2 months, and only five (8%) responded with correction of their serum 25-OHD to the goal of 30 ng/ml or greater (mean change, +0.3 ng/ml; from 18.8 to 19.1 ng/ml). In the 33 adults with CF who also completed the recommended second course of 800,000 IU of ergocalciferol over 2 months, none demonstrated correction of their deficiency (mean change, -1.2 ng/ml). The results of this study demonstrate that a majority of adults with CF have serum 25-OHD levels below 30 ng/ml, and the currently recommended ergocalciferol repletion regimen often does not fully correct vitamin D deficiency and may need to be revised to include even higher dosing of ergocalciferol. Further work is needed to establish the ideal 25-OHD level for maximizing calcium absorption and bone health in CF.