Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) or vitamin D insufficiency is common in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The impact of VDD on clinical outcomes in KTRs remain poorly defined and the most suitable marker for assessing vitamin D nutritional status in KTRs is unknown so far.
We conducted a prospective study including 600 stable KTRs (367 men, 233 women) and a meta-analysis to pool existing evidence to determine whether 25(OH)D or 1,25(OH)2D predicted graft failure and all-cause mortality in stable KTRs.
Compared with a higher 25(OH)D concentration, a low concentration of 25(OH)D was a risk factor for graft failure (HR 0.946, 95% CI 0.912−0.981,
Baseline 25(OH)D concentrations but not 1,25(OH)2D concentrations were independently and inversely associated with graft loss in adult KTRs.