Vitamin D Status in People Living with HIV: Assessment of 25(OH)D Levels and Associated Factors-A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is highly prevalent among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with reported rates of insufficiency and deficiency substantially higher than in many general-population cohorts. This study aims to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and to investigate the risk factors contributing to its occurrence among people living with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and are registered at the Craiova Regional Center (CRC).

METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted from May 2024 to August 2024, including individuals with HIV aged 18 years and older who were registered at the CRC.

RESULTS

A total of 138 patients were included in the study. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) and vitamin D insufficiency (20-29.9 ng/mL) was 36.2% and 33.3%, respectively, with an average vitamin D level of 26.4 ± 9.9 ng/mL. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with obesity (p = 0.0013), high HIV viral load (p = 0.043), low CD4 nadir (<200 cells/mm3, p = 0.006), prolonged ART exposure (p = 0.002), and the use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or protease inhibitor-containing regimens (p = 0.034 and p = 0.016, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that monitoring vitamin D levels could be particularly relevant for patients with HIV with higher-risk profiles. However, our study included a relatively small number of participants, so further research in larger cohorts is needed to better understand these patterns.