Background: Chronic kidney disease is frequently accompanied by vitamin D deficiency, especially due to impaired renal activation of vitamin D. In patients undergoing routine hemodialysis, vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in persistent systemic inflammation. Multiple inflammatory biomarkers are commonly used to assess inflammatory status in this population.
Objective: This study explored the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis and examined its association with key inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), serum albumin, and ferritin.
Methods: Adults aged 18-75 years with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing bi-weekly hemodialysis for at least three months were enrolled following informed consent. Serum concentrations of vitamin D and selected inflammatory markers were measured. Pearson’s correlation was employed to evaluate associations (p ≤ 0.05), and Kaplan–Meier analysis was applied to assess survival differences across vitamin D subgroups.
Results: Out of 94 participants, 86.2% were found to have insufficient vitamin D levels, with a mean value of 22.1 ± 21.3 ng/ml. An inverse correlation was observed between vitamin D and CRP (r=-0.487, p<0.001), NLR (r=-0.320, p=0.002), and ferritin (r=-0.310, p=0.002), whereas a positive relationship was identified with serum albumin (r=0.405, p<0.001). No statistically significant association was noted with PLR. Multivariate regression analysis reinforced the negative association between vitamin D and CRP. Survival analysis did not reveal significant differences among the vitamin D subgroups.
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among patients undergoing hemodialysis and is significantly linked with increased systemic inflammation. These findings underscore the potential therapeutic value of vitamin D supplementation in attenuating inflammatory processes in ESRD patients.