• Godan HauptmanAnaA, Amarela Lukić-Grlić, Jasmina Vraneš, Milan Milošević, and Alenka Gagro.
• Amarela Lukić-Grlić, Department of Laboratory Diagnostics, Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Zagreb Children's Hospital, Klaićeva 16, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, amarela.lukic@kdb.hr.
• Croat. Med. J. 2021 Oct 31; 62 (5): 495-503.

AimTo investigate whether three-month oral vitamin D supplementation (800 IU in drops) reduces the risk of influenza infection in elderly nursing home residents vaccinated against influenza.MethodsThis cross-sectional observational study enrolled 97 participants (73.2% women) who received one dose of seasonal trivalent 2016-2017 influenza vaccine. The patients were randomized into an experimental group, which received vitamin D supplementation for three months starting on the day of vaccination, and a control group, which did not receive vitamin D supplementation. The primary outcome was the number of influenza infections laboratory-confirmed using a rapid point-of-care test based on nasal swabs collected during vitamin D supplementation. The secondary outcome was serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level at the end of the study.ResultsThe mean age ±standard deviation was 78.5± 8.8 years. All participants had vitamin D deficiency at baseline. Twenty-three participants who developed signs of respiratory infections during the study were tested for influenza virus. Although the number of influenza-positive participants was lower in the group receiving vitamin D supplementation as compared with the control group (5 vs 12), this difference was not significant. Vitamin D supplementation failed to increase 25(OH)D levels after three months of supplementation.ConclusionElderly nursing home residents in Zagreb County have a significant vitamin D deficiency. The recommended national supplementation of 800 IU daily failed to lead to vitamin D sufficiency and did not reduce the risk of influenza infection among the vaccinated elderly.

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