Vitamin D levels are not related to acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) in patients with severe COPD, according to a large prospective cohort study involving 973 North American patients. The findings were published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In the study, a secondary analysis of data from a randomized, controlled trial of the effects of azithromycin on the frequency of AECOPD, no relationship was found between baseline Vitamin D levels and time to first AECOPD or between vitamin D levels and AECOPD exacerbation rates.
