Extremely low vitamin D levels are associated with increased mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis

Aims: Vitamin D serves an important role in regulating immune response mechanisms, and vitamin D deficiency has been associated with unfavourable outcomes in patients infected with chronic hepatitis C. Patients with advanced liver disease frequently suffer from vitamin D deficiency. However, it remains unknown whether vitamin D deficiency has an influence on mortality in these patients. Thus, we prospectively studied a cohort of patients with advanced liver disease to assess the influence of vitamin D deficiency on survival. Patients and methods: Ninety-two patients with liver cirrhosis (mean age, 55 years; rang…