Vitamin D supplementation offers some benefits in IBD

Vitamin D supplementation appears to improve inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) outcomes, including related ED visits, hospitalizations, and corticosteroid use, according to a retrospective study.

Researchers used data from the national Veterans Health Administration system from 2000 to 2023. They identified IBD patients who underwent a 25-hydroxyvitamin D assay.

A quasi-experimental design with difference-in-differences analysis was applied to compare outcomes between vitamin D–treated and untreated groups. Sensitivity analyses using regression discontinuity design (RDD) and inverse probability weighting (IPW) regression were also performed to confirm results from the primary analysis.

The analysis included 5,021 IBD patients (median age 63 years, 89 percent male), of which 58 percent had ulcerative colitis and 39 percent had Crohn’s disease. A total of 41 percent received vitamin D supplementation, and the median 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was 23 ng/mL.

Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a 2.17-percent reduction in IBD-related ED visits (relative risk reduction [RRR], 34.4 percent; p=0.007), 2.64-percent decrease in hospitalizations (RRR, 53.18 percent; p=0.003), and 1.29-percent fewer corticosteroid prescriptions (RRR, 25.13 percent; p=0.066).

Inverse probability weighted regression and RDD analyses produced consistent results.

The findings support the use of vitamin D supplementation as a low-cost adjunct in IBD management, the researchers said. They called for prospective studies to optimize dosing strategies and define target serum levels for improved long-term outcomes.