Relationship Between Chronic Kidney Disease Staging and Vitamin D Deficiency: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introduction Vitamin D deficiency is a rising health issue in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It can lead to serious issues such as rickets, periodontitis, osteoporosis, weakness, muscle ache, and depression. This study was conducted to determine the vitamin D status of patients with CKD in Pakistan and evaluate the correlation between serum vitamin D and renal function progression. Methodology A retrospective study enrolled patients who visited Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2015 to January 2021 with a primary diagnosis of CKD. Anthropometric, laboratory, and demographic data were collected from the hospital management information system (HMIS). Results A total of 513 patients with CKD were included in the study. More than 50% of the patients were from stage 3 to stage 5 of CKD while the rest were from stage 1 and stage 2. Significant differences are in relation to calcium, phosphate, and albumin across categories of severity of CKD. Calcium is lowest in stage 5 while phosphate is highest in stage 5. Vitamin D deficiency was found in all participants, but serum vitamin D concentration was lowest in stage 5, i.e., 8.14+6.00. The changing of vitamin D level was associated with the severity of CKD staging (p-value=0.003). Conclusion The current study has shown that vitamin D deficiency, calcium deficiency, and hyperphosphatemia are more common in patients with CKD, but their severity is more common in advanced stages of CKD.