Relationship Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Metabolic Syndrome in Renal Transplant Patients in Mashhad, Iran

Background: Vitamin D is a lipophilic hormone that affects homeostasis of calcium and phosphorus. Recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor for metabolic syndrome (MS). Also, metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in renal transplant patients and it can be associated with graft survival reduction. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and MS in renal transplant patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 86 stable renal transplant patients in warm seasons of 2014. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using the modified Asian adult treatment panel III (ATP III) criteria. Patients were classified based on their serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels: normal (> 30 ng/mL), insufficiency (16 - 30 ng/mL), and deficiency (< 16 ng/mL). Patients with a history of the malabsorption syndrome, alcoholism, taking vitamin D supplementations in the last 2 months, pretransplant diabetes mellitus, and pregnancy were excluded from the study. Results: Fifty percent of the patients had MS, consisting of 48 males (55.8%) and 38 females (44.2%). The mean age of the MS group was significantly higher than the non-MS group. The body mass index in the MS group was significantly higher than the non-MS group (P = 0.001). The mean serum vitamin D level in the MS group was lower, but this difference was not significant (P = 0.914). Conclusions: Although the serum vitamin D level was lower in MS patients, it was not significant. Also, due to the high prevalence of both MS and vitamin D deficiency among renal transplant patients, we did not find any significant relation between vitamin D deficiency and MS.