Prevalence and factors associated with Hypovitaminosis D among patients with colorectal cancer in Mulago National Referral Hospital and Uganda Cancer Institute (Uganda): A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: The burden of colorectal cancer has increased in Uganda. Vitamin D has immunomodulatory effects that are not only protective against malignancies such as colorectal cancer but are also associated with reduced cancer-related morbidity. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among patients with colorectal cancer is unknown in Uganda despite an increasing burden of the cancer in the country. Objective: To determine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (serum vitamin D level < 30ng/dl) and its associated factors among patients receiving treatment and care for colorectal cancer in Uganda. Methods: A six-month hospital-based cross-sectional study among 66 participants was done at both Mulago National Referral Hospital and Uganda Cancer Institute among adults 18 years and above with colorectal cancer admitted for surgical or medical intervention. An interviewer- guided questionnaire was used to collect participant information after seeking informed consent from the participants and Ethical approval from School of Medicine Research Ethics committee (SoMREC). Data was entered into Epidata, coded and then analyzed using a binary logistic regression using Stata 14 software. Descriptive statistics were summarized with categorical variables summarized as frequencies and proportions and continuous variables and means and standard deviations. Adjusted Odds ratios with their 95% Confidence Intervals as the measures of association were then reported. Results: The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among colorectal cancer patients was 90.6% with 32.8% of the patients having severe vitamin D deficiency. The mean serum concertation was 15.2 ng/ml and majority of the participants had insufficient levels of vitamin D (21-29 ng/ml). No factor was significantly associated with l hypovitaminosis D among colorectal cancer patients. Conclusions: There exists a very high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among colorectal cancer patients and severe vitamin D deficiency was widely spread among colorectal cancer patients and no factors were significantly associated with hypovitaminosis D. .This finding underscores the need for continuous standardized monitoring of serum Vitamin D levels among cancer patients and the need for vitamin D supplementation protocols among colorectal cancer patients.