Citation

Arabi SM, Sedaghat A, Ehsaei MR, Safarian M, Ranjbar G, Rezaee H, Rezvani R, Tabesh H, Norouzy A. Trials 2020; 21(1): e685.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s13063-020-04622-6

PMID

32727558

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common trauma worldwide and is a leading cause of injury-related death and disability. Inflammation is initiated as a result of the TBI, which is in association with severity of illness and mortality in brain trauma patients, especially in subdural hemorrhage and epidural hemorrhage cases. A high percentage of adults admitted to the intensive care unit with TBI are diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency; this deficiency may induce impaired immune responses and increase the risk of infections. Vitamin D intervention has been shown to modulate pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in non-critically ill patients, but to date, there is no substantial data on the effectiveness of vitamin D for the improvement of immune function in traumatic brain injury patients.

METHODS/DESIGN: A randomized clinical trial (RCT) will be performed on 74 Iranian adults 18-65 years old with brain trauma and will be treated daily with vitamin D supplements (100,000 IU oral drop) or a similar placebo (1000 IU) for 5 days.

DISCUSSION: If this randomized clinical trial demonstrates reductions in inflammatory cytokines, it would provide evidence for a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in neurocritically ill patients. Since vitamin D supplements are inexpensive and safe, this clinical trial could have the potential to improve clinical outcomes in traumatic brain injury patients through reduction of inflammation and infection-associated morbidity and mortality rates.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT20180619040151N3. Registered on 10 August 2019.

Language: en

Keywords

Mortality; Traumatic brain injury; Inflammation; Vitamin D