High dose vitamin D therapy for chronic pain in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease: results of a randomized double blind pilot study

We report results of a pilot study of high-dose vitamin D in sickle cell disease (SCD). Subjects were given a 6-week course of oral high-dose cholecalciferol (40 000-100 000 IU per week) or placebo and monitored prospectively for a period of six months. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency was present at baseline in 82.5% and 52.5% of subjects, respectively. Subjects who received high-dose vitamin D achieved higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, experienced fewer pain days per week, and had higher physical activity quality-of-life scores. These findings suggest a potential benefit of vitamin D in reducing the number of pain days in SCD. Larger prospective studies with longer duration are needed to confirm these effects.