Efficacy of weekly versus daily cholecalciferol for repleting serum vitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Year: 2024
Type: review
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: Weekly cholecalciferol can replace daily supplementation to reduce pill burden in patients with complex medication regimens and hypovitaminosis D, but evidence supporting this switch is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether weekly cholecalciferol was superior to daily cholecalciferol to replete patients with hypovitaminosis D. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials involving participants with baseline hypovitaminosis D (<30 ng/ml) comparing weekly versus daily cholecalciferol dosing and where serum cholecalciferol was measured within 120 days of starting treatment. We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL and EMBASE from inception to 7 May 2024. A random-effects meta-analysis evaluated the odds ratio for repletion of serum vitamin D levels. FINDINGS: = 85.3%). A sensitivity analysis excluding otherwise healthy patients had similar findings (OR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.3-2.1, p = 0.6). Most studies were at risk of bias; the different doses being compared increased the heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Limited direct evidence supports a switch from daily to weekly cholecalciferol dosing; however, weekly supplementation was not demonstrably worse at repleting levels and decreased a patient's daily pill burden.
DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.14092
Language: English
Topic: Vitamin D Research Studies
Subfield: Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,430
OpenAlex ID: W4403370795