Vitamin D, Respiratory Function, and Illness in Chronic SCI

描述 摘要：维生素D在骨代谢中的作用已得到充分证实，但最近的流行病学和基础科学研究表明，维生素D相关途径参与了肺功能、感染风险和呼吸系统健康的确定，这些都是影响慢性SCI发病率和死亡率的因素。这些关于维生素D的观察结果非常重要，因为维生素D缺乏和不足在慢性脊髓损伤中很常见。之前在VA波士顿对慢性SCI患者进行的研究表明，肺功能和胸部疾病风险的纵向下降并不归因于损伤的水平和严重程度，而是归因于其他潜在的可改变因素。VA波士顿SCI研究项目进行了流行病学研究，重点是确定慢性SCI患者肺功能下降和肺部相关疾病的因素。在330例慢性SCI患者的队列中，建议纵向评估维生素D水平与肺功能和未来胸部疾病风险之间的关系。了解维生素D水平较低的这些不利影响， 因为增加了肺部相关疾病和感染的风险。我们的方法是有效的，因为它将利用一个正在进行的纵向健康研究中招募的大型SCI队列。肺功能下降与维生素D水平较低的胸部疾病风险增加之间的相关性的证明将导致一项临床试验评估维生素D补充剂的潜在益处，这可能会找到一种预防SCI疾病的方法。

DESCRIPTION Abstract: The role of vitamin D in bone metabolism is well established, but recent epidemiologic and basic science studies suggest that vitamin D related pathways are involved in the determination of pulmonary function, risk of infection, and respiratory health, all factors influencing morbidity and mortality in chronic SCI. These observations regarding vitamin D are highly significant as vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is common in chronic spinal cord injury. Previous research conducted at VA Boston in persons with chronic SCI has demonstrated that longitudinal decline in pulmonary function and chest illness risk are not attributable to level and severity of injury, but to other potentially modifiable factors. The VA Boston SCI research program has conducted epidemiologic studies focused on identifying factors responsible for pulmonary function decline and pulmonary-related illness in chronic SCI. In a cohort of 330 persons with chronic SCI, it is proposed to longitudinally assess the relationship between vitamin D levels with pulmonary function and the risk of future chest illness. Understanding these adverse effects of lower vitamin D levels is particularly important in SCI because of the increased risk of pulmonary-related diseases and infection. Our approach is efficient because it will take advantage of a large SCI cohort enrolled in an ongoing longitudinal health study. The demonstration of an association between pulmonary function decline and an increased risk of chest illness with lower levels of vitamin D would result in a clinical trial assessing the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation that would potentially identify an approach to disease prevention in SCI.