Vitamin D and diabetic foot ulcers: is there a link?

The aim of this study was to look at the association between low vitamin D and diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) in patients with diabetes. The main finding of the study was that severe vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increased risk of DFU.

DFU is a common complication of diabetes. DFU can cause a lot of pain, be difficult to heal and get easily infected. They can result in the loss of mobility and sometimes require amputation. In addition, patients with a DFU have a higher mortality rate than diabetic patients without a DFU.

Vitamin D is most commonly known for its importance for bone health. We get most of our vitamin D comes from sunlight. We can also get it from foods such as oily fish and eggs. Recently, there have been some studies indicating a role of vitamin D in wound healing. It is not known if there is an association between not having enough vitamin D (deficiency) and an increased risk of a DFU.

This report analyzed 7 different studies involving 1,115 patients.

Patients with DFU has significantly lower levels of vitamin D than patients with diabetes who did not have a DFU. 48.98% of patients with a DFU had severe vitamin D deficiency. This was compared to 22.78% of diabetic patients without DFU with a severe vitamin D deficiency. Patients with a severe vitamin D deficiency were 3.2 times more likely to have a DFU.

The authors concluded that severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of DFU.

This analysis was based mainly on small studies with different protocols. Further, larger studies are needed for stronger evidence.

Vitamin D is an important requirement for the entire population. If you feel you may not be getting enough vitamin D, consult your physician.