Vitamin D resistance in chronic kidney disease (CKD).

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The aim of this study was to test the response to cholecalciferol in CKD.

Why It Was Studied

The researchers attempted to replete 25-OH vitamin D to a target level of 40-60 ng/ml using the response to treatment and PTH suppression as an outcome measure.

Who Took Part

The study group was 5 patients.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

This retrospective cohort study identified patients (Stages 2-5 and Transplant) from 2001-2010 who registered at the Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic.

Active vitamin D analogs were also used in some Stage 4-5 CKD patients per practice guidelines.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Patients reaching at least one level of 40 ng/mL were designated RESPONDER, and if no level above 40 ng/mL they were designated NON-RESPONDER.

What Was Measured

The researchers attempted to replete 25-OH vitamin D to a target level of 40-60 ng/ml using the response to treatment and PTH suppression as an outcome measure.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Drug Resistance, Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary, Renal Insufficiency, Chronic, Vitamin D, Vitamin D Deficiency and Vitamins.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 5 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Its findings take up roughly 10 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2014 (BMC nephrology), a journal based in England.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.