British researchers have found a correlation between low vitamin D levels and poorer function and mood in first-onset psychosis patients after 1 year.
Among 166 patients at first onset of psychosis (64% male), about 19% had sufficient vitamin D levels (>20 ng/mL), 40% had insufficient levels, (10 to 20 ng/mL) and 42% were deficient (<10 ng/mL), according to Fiona Gaughran, MD, at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, and colleagues.
Low levels at presentation were found to be associated with Global Assessment of Function (GAF) scores (r=.29, P=0.02), with poorer function (r=0.33, P=0.05), and with higher Calgary Depression scores (r=-0.43, P=0.01), they reported at the 2015 International Congress on Schizophrenia Research in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Also, when levels were measured at 12 months, low levels were correlated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive scores (r=-0.34, P=0.03) and quality of life (r=0.33, P=0.02) using the EQ-5D measurement.
“Vitamin D levels are extremely low at all stages of psychosis,” the authors wrote. “Low vitamin D is linked to quality of life, mood, and cardiometabolic risk in established psychosis and highlights the need for holistic management of psychosis.”