Vitamin D replacement therapy in patients with the nephrotic syndrome

The possibility to achieve and maintain normal plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3), with long-term vitamin D replacement therapy, has been evaluated in 9 patients with nephrotic syndrome. Plasma levels of 25OHD3 rose from 10.8 +/- 5.0 (SD) nmol/l to 29.5 +/- 11.1 (p less than 0.001) with a daily dose of 25 micrograms of vitamin D3 per os. Plasma levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 were low before treatment (39.5 +/- 22.7 pmol/l) and returned to the normal range under therapy in the patients without renal failure. Low levels of vitamin D metabolites in nephrotic syndrome can be normalized with long-term oral vitamin D replacement therapy.