Link between community-acquired pneumonia and vitamin D levels in older patients

To investigate the correlation between the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH)D] and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in elderly patients. A total of 163 older patients were chosen from those hospitalized between October 2011 and October 2012. Patients were divided into pneumonia and non-pneumonia groups, and the concentrations of 25-(OH)D (nmol/L) in serum were measured. Clinical data were then compared between the two groups and pneumonia-related risk factors were analyzed using logistic regression. Among the 163 older hospitalized patients, 49 suffered from pneumonia. Levels of 25-(OH)D, total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were lower (P < 0.05) in the pneumonia group, while severe vitamin D (VitD) deficiency was higher in the pneumonia group (71.4 vs. 19.3%; P < 0.0001). Age and number of hospitalization days were higher in the pneumonia group (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that age and VitD levels were independent risk factors for pneumonia. No significant difference was observed in terms of gender, onset season, body mass index, or smoking and drinking history between the two groups (P > 0.05). The older patients with CAP had a severe VitD deficiency, indicating that low levels of VitD might play an important role in the occurrence and development of CAP.