Research indicates that higher levels of an antimicrobial protein that’s regulated by vitamin D may significantly reduce the risk of death from infection for dialysis patients.
The study, which was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, looked at 279 end-stage renal-disease patients across the U.S. who were being treated with dialysis. Patients with a high level of the human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein, or hCAP18, were 3.7 times more likely to survive kidney dialysis for a year without a fatal infection.
Because the peptide is regulated by vitamin D, it is believed that vitamin D therapy may be one way to boost hCAP18 levels.
Source:
Health News Digest:Vitamin D, Immune Response May Reduce Fatal Infections In Dialysis Patients
