25(OH)-Vitamin D and Its Association With Bone Density, Body Composition, Strength, Walking Speed, Physical Performance and Pain in Hospitalized Individuals With Neurological Disorders

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying vitamin D levels in hospitalized individuals with neurological disorders that cause motor disabilities. The goal is to gather important data to help create guidelines for vitamin D use in these populations, including people with stroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. The study also aims to evaluate how vitamin D supplements affect bone density, body composition, strength, walking speed, physical performance, and pain. The study is a two-year randomized, controlled trial enrolling 120 participants, including 30 controls. Participants with low vitamin D levels will receive vitamin D supplements either as 50,000 I.U. weekly for 8 weeks or 25,000 I.U. for 4 weeks followed by 10,000 I.U. drops weekly for another 4 weeks. Controls have vitamin D levels above 20 ng/ml and do not receive supplementation. Measurements include serum vitamin D and related biochemical markers, assessed at the start and end of the study. Participants will undergo various assessments such as bone density scans using DXA, strength tests with a dynamometer, walking speed tests, physical performance evaluations with the SPPB test, and pain scoring. Demographic data and lifestyle factors like exercise and smoking will also be recorded. Safety and tolerance of vitamin D supplementation will be monitored. The primary outcome is the number of participants with neurological disease and low vitamin D levels, with secondary outcomes including improvements in structural and functional parameters due to supplementation.

25(OH)-Vitamin D and Its Association With Structural and Functional Parameters in Hospitalized Patients With Neurological Diseases