Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Pain Management in Sickle Cell Disease Patients

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among patients with sickle cell disease, regardless of their age or the season. Since there has been no extensive research on the impact of vitamin D on pain in sickle cell disease, this study aimed to evaluate how vitamin D supplementation influences pain management in these patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on children (12.3 +/- 4.45 years old) with definitive diagnosis of sickle cell. The study was done in the Department of Oncology of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital, Yazd, Iran, over the years 2019-2021. Thirty patients (14 boys and 16 girls) with vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency entered the study and 50000 IU vitamin D was given weekly for 16 weeks. The measurement of vitamin 25(OH) D3 before and after intervention was done by ELISA method (Monobind kit, USA). Pain intensity assessment was also done. Other relevant data were extracted from the patients' medical records. Results: In this study, amomg 30 patients, 46.6% of them had vitamin D deficiency. A significant reduction in pain intensity was observed in patients following the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, vitamin D was effective in reducing pain intensity in these patients. Therefore, vitamin D can be used in the pain management of these patients.