engleski

The effect of standard-dose wintertime vitamin D supplementation on influenza infection in immunized nursing home elderly residents

To 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. This 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- The mean age was 78.5 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. Elderly nursing home residents in Zagreb County have a significant vitamin D deficiency. The recommended national supplementation of 800 IU daily failed to lead do vitamin D sufficiency and did not reduce the risk of influenza infection among the vaccinated elderly.

vitamin D ; supplementation ; influenza infection ; nursing homes

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