Effect of serum vitamin D levels on the severity of acute pancreatitis: A prospective study

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a serious and complex disorder with varying disease course and severity. Early and prompt interventions are crucial in management of AP. Vitamin D, being a prominent actor in calcium metabolism, also takes part in immunity and thus in immune-system related disorders, ranging from infections to cancer. In this study, the role of vitamin D status of a patient on the severity of AP was investigated. This study was conducted between June 2021 to August 2022 with a total of 315 patients. Blood samples were obtained upon admission. A 25-(OH)D3 level less than 10 ng/ml was defined as vitamin D deficiency. 10–19 ng/ml was defined as vitamin D insufficiency whereas 20 ng/ml or above was considered to be sufficient. Scoring systems (Ranson score, CTSI, BISAP, Revised Atlanta Classification (RAC) were applied. Serum 25-(OH)D3 levels of patients with AP were found to be negatively correlated with severity of the disease according to RAC (p < 0.001). In concordance to this finding, both Ranson score and BISAP were found to be statistically significantly related to 25-(OH)D3 levels. Both scoring systems revealed higher scores in patients with insufficient or deficient levels of 25-(OH)D3. Serum 25-(OH)D3 levels were not found to be related to intensive care unit admission or mortality. This study revealed that serum 25-(OH)D3 level is related to the severity of AP. In the future, interventional studies with vitamin D therapy in otherwise serum 25-(OH)D3 deficient AP patients might reveal a new potential therapeutic agent in this mechanically complex, burdensome disorder.