In patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, a single high-dose intramuscular injection of vitamin D appears to confer a significant reduction in symptoms, according to study data.
Rayaz A. Malik, MBChB, PhD, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar, and colleagues evaluated 143 adults (mean age, 52 years) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes to determine the effect of a high-dose intramuscular injection of vitamin D (600,000 IU) on painful diabetic neuropathy. Participants were evaluated at baseline and on four subsequent visits every 5 weeks, with follow-up visits taking place at 4 to 6 weeks (visit 2), 8 to 12 weeks (visit 3), 14 to 16 weeks (visit 4) and 18 to 20 weeks (visit 5). At visit 1, participants received a single intramuscular dose of 600,000 IU of vitamin D.
The baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was 31.7 ng/mL and evidence of vitamin D deficiency (25-[OH]D < 20 ng/mL) was present in 40.5% of participants.
The researchers found that between visit 1 and visit 5, there was an increase in 25-(OH)D levels (from 31.7 ng/mL to 46.2 ng/mL; P < .0001). HbA1c also decreased from visit 1 to visit 5 (from 8.6% to 8.2%; P = .02), whereas there was an increase in HDL cholesterol (from 39 mg/dL to 43 mg/dL; P = .03); no change was found for total cholesterol or triglycerides. A small increase was found for serum calcium levels (P = .009).
By Basit A, et al. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2016;doi:10.1136/bmjdrc-2015-000148.
02/23/2016
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