Vitamin D Deficiency Tied to Depression Risk With Chronic Kidney Disease

TUESDAY, Feb. 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is independently associated with increased depression risk in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study published online Jan. 26 in Frontiers in Nutrition.

I-Wen Chen, from Chi Mei Medical Center in Tainan City, Taiwan, and colleagues examined the association between VDD and the risk for depression. The analysis included 17,955 propensity-matched pairs of patients with CKD (aged 50 years and older) with VDD of ≤20 ng/mL or ≥30 ng/mL (control group), as measured within three months of CKD diagnosis.

The researchers found that VDD was associated with increased depression risk at one year (hazard ratio [HR], 1.929). This association remained at follow-up three years later. The finding was consistent across CKD stages, with similar risks in early CKD (HR, 1.977) and CKD stage 3 to 5 (HR, 1.981). Depression risk was higher among men with VDD (HR, 2.264) versus women (HR, 1.761). Higher depression risk was seen even with vitamin D insufficiency (20 to 30 ng/mL) versus normal levels (HR, 1.667). 

“These findings suggest that maintaining adequate vitamin D levels might be important for mental health in patients with CKD, although randomized trials are needed to confirm whether supplementation can prevent depression in this population,” the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text