Background: Role of Vitamin D in regulation of various important body functions has been well studied. Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, dementia and certain malignancies. Its role in increasing beta cell activity and insulin sensitivity is also under research and through this study we tried to assess the correlation between vitamin D levels and microvascular complications of diabetes.

Methods: 200 patients of Type 2 diabetes were taken as cases while 200 healthy age and sex matched subjects were taken as controls. This observational study was conducted for 2 years in Endocrinology department of Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College, Meerut (UP). Relevant clinical examinations and investigations were done including serum 25-Hydoxy Vitamin D levels in all the subjects who were thereafter labeled as either Vitamin D sufficient, insufficient or deficient.

Results: In this study it was found that neuropathy was present in 100 cases (50%)  with mean vitamin-D level 16.52 +/- 1.31 ng/mL and absent in rest 50% cases with vitamin-D levels of 17.66 +/- 1.18 ng/mL,  which was significant( p= 0.002). Proliferative retinopathy was present in 52 cases with mean vitamin-D level 16.41 +/- 1.01 ng/mL and absent in 72 cases (36%) with mean vitamin-D 17.79 +/- 1.41 ng/mL, which was found to be significant( p = 0.012).

Conclusions: This study shows that the patients of diabetes in Western UP are deficient in vitamin-D as compared to non diabetics. As per individual complication is related, diabetic retino and neuropathy significantly correlates with vitamin-D deficiency/insufficiency.

Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Microvascular complications, Retinopathy, Neuropathy, Nephropathy, Vitamin-D.

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Dr Manish Srivastav

Department of Endocrinology, LLRM Medical College and SVBP Hospital