Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for urinary tract infection in women at reproductive age

Vitamin D deficiency is a pandemic problem and an ever-increasing issue in human nutrition and health. Vitamin D (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D) deficiency causes many health problems such as autoimmune diseases, Crohn's disease, diabetes, inflammation, asthma, hypertension, and cancer. Vitamin D3 (chole-calciferol) deficiency has been documented as a persistent problem among adults, children, and elderly persons in most of the countries. Our main objective of this study was to determine the hypothesis that the vitamin D deficiency among women can lead to them developing frequent urinary tract infections. Vitamin D has a potential role in immune regulation and it prevents infections especially urinary tract infections (UTI). Therefore it has positive regulatory role in both acute and recurrent infections especially in women of reproductive ages. As women at this age group have specific differences in their urinary tract and the reproductive organ anatomy, make them more prone for micro-organisms' invasion, The present study was carried out to ascertain certain relation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and UTI in women while contemplating the significance of knowing the risk factors associated with UTI and also finding ways to avoid serious complications. 75 women with (case group) UTI were differentiated with 35 healthy with no UTI (control group) and 40 women with UTI and their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were checked in a case control study. The women were between at 17-52 years of age. Using ELISA, Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured. Analysis and comparison of the results were done among the two groups. Vitamin D mean levels in the case group was considerably lower when in comparison with the control group (11.09 +/- 7.571 ng/mL vs. 24.08 +/- 11.95 ng/mL, P < 0.001). (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.