Low Vitamin D Level on Admission for Burn Injury Is Associated With Increased Length of Stay

Currently, there have been few studies that have evaluated the incidence of vitamin D deficiency in adult burn patients or correlated vitamin D levels with burn-related outcomes. The primary objective of the study was to identify the incidence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in an adult burn population. The secondary objective was to determine the impact of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency on clinical outcomes in burn care. A single-center, retrospective, and observational cohort analysis of adult patients admitted for initial management of burn injury, who had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) level measured on admission, was performed. Patients were categorized as vitamin D deficient (25D <10 ng/ml), insufficient (10-29 ng/ml), or sufficient (30-100 ng/ml) based on admission measurements. Clinical outcomes including complications, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS), and survival were compared between patients with vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency and patients with vitamin D sufficiency. Three-hundred and eighteen patients were eligible for evaluation. Admission 25D level correlated with deficiency in 46 patients (14.5%), insufficiency in 207 (65.1%), and normal in 65 (20.4%). Patients with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency experienced higher rates of complications and longer ICU and hospital LOS compared with those with normal vitamin D levels. A large proportion of patients with burn injury presented with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency which was associated with poor outcomes, including prolonged ICU and hospital LOS. Additional studies are needed to further describe the relationship between vitamin D status and clinical outcomes.