Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to improve outcomes for patients suffering from a variety of illnesses such as stroke and cancer. Vitamin D deficiencies have been associated with longer hospital stays, greater severity of symptoms, and death in some complex cases. Due to vitamin D's burgeoning role in improving patient outcomes, a new sector of research is focusing on the lesser-known implications of vitamin D on health. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects approximately 69 million people worldwide per year. Here, we summarize the current scientific understanding of vitamin D dynamics with TBI to elucidate a potential way to lessen the cascade of secondary damage after an initial insult, with the goal of improving overall patient outcomes. Because vitamin D supplementation has been correlated with better outcomes in other pathologies involving immune and inflammatory molecules, it is important to study the potential effect of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and supplementation on TBI outcomes. Research on vitamin D supplementation in TBI remains in the preliminary stages. There is still much to learn about vitamin D deficiency, dosage, variants of supplementary forms, mechanisms, and its role in TBI.
Keywords: calcidiol; calcitriol; concussion; traumatic brain injury; vitamin D receptor.
© 2021 Kiana Saadatmand et al., published by De Gruyter.