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ABSTRACT
Purpose: There is no globally accepted treatment protocol for vitamin D deficiency. Here, we aimed to compare the efficacy of 3 different replacement modalities in vitamin D-deficient patients. Cross-sectional retrospective study.
Material and Method: The study was conducted in the endocrine outpatient clinic at Dr. Lütfi Kırdar Training and Research Hospital between March 2013 and July 2013. A total of 223 vitamin D-deficient patients aged 18-80 years were given replacement therapy. One hundred twenty five patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The patients were divided into three groups according to the modality of the treatment they received. The subjects of group 1 were given 300.000 IU vitamin D once orally, those of group 2 50.000 IU per week for six weeks and the patients in group 3 received 50.000 IU per week for eight weeks. Biochemical tests were performed before and after replacement therapy in all subjects and the results were recorded.
Results: The success of replacement therapy was defined as achieving a level of 25(OH)D of more than 20 ng/mL. The rate of treatment success was 97% in group 1, 95.3% in group 2, and 83% in group 3. There was no statistically significant difference in treatment success between the groups (p>0.05).
Discussion: Replacing vitamin D with a total of 300.000 IU at once or weekly split doses of 50.000 IU for 8 weeks, as recommended in the guidelines, has the same treatment success. Treatment with 300.000 IU vitamin D at once can be an alternative replacement modality in patients with poor compliance.