• A Tostmann, J P M Wielders, G S Kibiki, H Verhoef, M J Boeree, and A J A M van der Ven.
• Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. a lmatostmann@yahoo.com
• Int. J. Tuberc. Lung Dis. 2010 Sep 1;14(9):1147-52.

SettingVitamin D deficiency is associated with susceptibility to active tuberculosis (TB) in many settings. In vitro studies and studies on human volunteers showed that two of the first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin, reduce 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations.ObjectiveTo study changes in vitamin D status during treatment of Tanzanian hospitalised patients with pulmonary TB (PTB).DesignWe compared serum 25[OH]D concentrations in 81 Tanzanian PTB patients before and after 2 months of treatment.ResultsMedian serum 25[OH]D concentrations increased from 91 nmol/l at baseline to 101 nmol/l after 2 months of TB treatment (median increase 6.0 nmol/l, IQR -0.7-25.0, P = 0.001). Median serum parathyroid hormone concentrations increased from 1.6 to 2.0 pmol/l (median increase 0.46, IQR -0.2-1.1, P < 0.001).Conclusion25[OH]D serum concentrations increased during the first 2 months of TB treatment in 81 PTB patients in northern Tanzania. Improved dietary intake and increased sunlight exposure may have contributed to the increased 25[OH]D concentrations.

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