Vitamin D and Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

Vitamin D and COPD. A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial of the Effect of Vitamin D on Withdrawal From Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Exercise Endurance

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of vitamin D intervention in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) undergoing rehabilitation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 50 years
• Diagnosed COPD with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) < 50 % of predicted
• Breathlessness relative to MRC dyspnoea grade 3 or more

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with known diseases of bone metabolism apart from osteoporosis and patients with granulomatous disease
• Patients with hyper- or hypocalcemia at inclusion
• Patients with cardiovascular or musculoskeletal disease that impacts significantly on walking based on the investigator's judgement
• Patients with dementia or other mental conditions rendering them unable to understand the study information and thus provide informed consent
• Patients with terminal disease or known cancer with bone metastases, increasing their risk of hypercalcemia
• Patients taking more than 20 mcg vitamin D on a daily basis. If a patient takes vitamin D below this limit, dose should have been stable 6 months prior to inclusion in order to achieve steady-state.
• Pregnancy