Vitamin D supplements for prevention of tuberculosis infection and disease

A multinational team of researchers weighs in on the use of vitamin D supplementation to prevent tuberculosis (TB), based on the results of their large-scale trial in Mongolia. The study’s two cohorts included 4,418 schoolchildren randomly allocated to a weekly oral supplement of vitamin D3 and 4,433 assigned to placebo for 3 years. Participants—who presented with vitamin D deficiency—tested negative for TB at randomization, with investigators curious to see how many returned positive assay results at the end of the treatment period. Valid test outcomes were available at followup for 4,074 children in the supplement group and 4,043 in the control group. Positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube tests were documented, respectively, for 3.6% and 3.3% of the participants at 36 months. In addition to having no significant effect on the risk of TB infection, vitamin D supplementation did not curb the risk of acute respiratory infection or adverse events in this patient population.