FREQUENCY OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AMONG ADULT TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS AT AYUB TEACHING HOSPITAL ABBOTTABAD

Abstract

basic mechanism involved is not known but Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of getting infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This study was conducted to determine the incidence of Vitamin D deficiency among adult tuberculosis patients visiting the OPD of Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad.
Materials & Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad, from January to June 2015 on 147 patients after approval from ethical committee; data were collected from the Medical Outpatients Department (OPD) through convenience sampling from consecutive patients after taking written informed consent from them. Blood specimens were obtained under strict aseptic technique and were immediately sent to standard laboratory to detect Vitamin D deficiency. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics using SPSS, 20; the Chi Square test was used for comparisons of frequencies keeping p≤0.05 as significant.
Results: The ages of tuberculosis patients were from 18 to 65 years, with 83% between the ages of 31-60 years (mean age 44.23±11.65 years). Vitamin D deficiency was observed in 62(42.18%) patients, equally distributed by gender. There was no association with age, gender, site of tuberculosis, or dietary intake of Vitamin D rich foods.
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is a frequent finding in patients with tuberculosis and occurs irrespective of age, gender, site of tuberculosis, or dietary intake of Vitamin D rich foods.
Keywords: Vitamin D; Pulmonary Tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Extra-Pulmonary Tuberculosis.