We investigated the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among individuals who have a history of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in Korea. Using the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we selected 805 individuals with a history of TB diagnosis and 16,049 controls without a history of TB. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a 25(OH)D level less than 20 ng/mL. Vitamin D deficiency was revealed in 71.7% of the individuals with a history of TB diagnosis and in 72.1% of the controls. Vitamin D deficiency was more likely in women than in men, in people who engaged in other jobs or were unemployed than in people who engaged in skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery jobs, and in people who walked 3-5 days per week than in people who walked 6-7 days per week. Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent in the TB group. Regular examination and strategies to increase vitamin D levels in individuals with a history of TB are needed, as vitamin D is associated with TB conditions and bone disease.
Keywords: nutrition surveys; tuberculosis; vitamin D; vitamin D deficiency.