Serum vitamin D level and vitamin D receptor genotypes may be associated with tuberculosis clinical characteristics: A case–control study

Vitamin D is associated with the susceptibility of tuberculosis and might have an adjunctive effect on anti-tuberculosis treatment. This study aims to investigate the association of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms with susceptibility and severity to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in comparison with drug-sensitive tuberculosis (DS-TB) and health controls in China. A total of 180 patients with pulmonary TB (128 DS-TB, 52 MDR-TB) and 59 healthy controls were enrolled into 3 groups. Vitamin D levels and VDR genotypes at FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI sites of all the participants and clinical characteristics of patients with TB were measured and collected. Statistical analysis revealed that vitamin D levels were lower in both TB groups. Patients with TB with bilateral lesions and patients with MDR-TB with extrapulmonary TB had lower vitamin D levels. The frequencies of ff genotype and f allele were higher in both TB groups. Patients with Ff genotype and ff genotype had lower proportion of extrapulmonary TB. Patients with ff genotype had higher proportion of retreatment. Male patients with ff genotype had higher proportion of cavity formation. Patients with DS-TB with AA genotype had higher proportion of cavity formation. Our findings demonstrate that vitamin D deficiency and ff genotype may be the risk factors of TB in Chinese population. In addition, patients with TB with lower level of vitamin D may have a greater risk of bilateral lesions and extrapulmonary TB. VDR genotypes may be associated with TB clinical characteristics.