Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Insufficiency in B-Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia at the Time of Disease Presentation in Pakistan

Background: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency is very common in Pakistan and is often related toinferior prognosis in some cancers but limited data exist for hematopoietic malignancies. This study was conductedto determine the vitamin D insufficiency in B-chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) cases at the time of presentationand its possible correlation with clinical staging, hematological parameters and biochemical markers. Materialsand
Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried at Liaquat National Hospital from January 2011to June 2013. Sixty patients with B-chronic lymphoid leukemia were enrolled. Complete blood count, vitaminD levels, serum urea, creatinine, uric acid and LDH levels were assessed. Data were compiled and analyzedusing SPSS version 21.
Results: Out of 60 patients, 42 (70%) were male and 18 (30%) were female. Mean agewas 59.0±9.2 years. The frequency of vitamin D insufficiency was found to be 56.7%. Overall insufficiency wasmore frequently seen in male gender (40%). Vitamin D insufficiency demonstrated a positive association withlow lactate dehydrogenase levels (P=0.005). No links were established with age, clinical stage, hematologicaland other biochemical markers.
Conclusions: Vitamin D insufficiency is high compared with Western studies.Whether normalization of vitamin D insufficiency in deficient B-CLL patients could improve the clinical outcomeor delay disease progression will require further studies.