Seven Weeks of High-Dose Vitamin D Treatment Reduces the Need for Infliximab Dose-Escalation and Decreases Inflammatory Markers in Crohn's Disease during One-Year Follow-Up.

BACKGROUND

Seven weeks of high-dose vitamin D treatment decreases intestinal IL17A and IFN-γ mRNA expression in active Crohn's disease (CD). In this follow-up study, we investigated whether seven-week vitamin D treatment affected the infliximab response in the following 45 weeks compared to placebo.

METHODS

CD patients ( = 40) were initially randomised into four groups: infliximab + vitamin-D; infliximab + placebo-vitamin-D; placebo-infliximab + vitamin-D; and placebo-infliximab + placebo-vitamin-D. Infliximab (5 mg/kg) or placebo-infliximab was administered at weeks 0, 2 and 6. Vitamin D (5 mg bolus followed by 0.5 mg/day for 7 weeks) or placebo-vitamin D was handed out. After the 7-week vitamin D period, all patients received infliximab during follow-up. Results are reported for Group D+ (infliximab + vitamin-D and placebo-infliximab + vitamin-D) and Group D- (infliximab + placebo-vitamin-D and placebo-infliximab + placebo-vitamin-D).

RESULTS

Group D- patients had greater needs for infliximab dose escalation during follow-up compared to group D+ ( = 0.05). Group D+ had lower median calprotectin levels week 15 ( = 0.02) and week 23 ( = 0.04) compared to group D-. Throughout follow-up, group D+ had 2.2 times (95% CI: 1.1-4.3) ( = 0.02) lower median CRP levels compared with group D-.

CONCLUSIONS

Seven weeks high-dose vitamin D treatment reduces the need for later infliximab dose-escalation and reduces inflammatory markers. EudraCT no. 2013-000971-34.