Targeted Bone Support: High-Dose Vitamin D and Calcium Improve Bone Mineral Density in Adolescents with HIV and Baseline Insufficiency

Highlights

The VITALITY trial, a large-scale randomized controlled study, investigated the impact of vitamin D and calcium on bone health in adolescents living with HIV. Key findings include:

• Overall, high-dose vitamin D3 (20,000 IU weekly) and calcium carbonate (500 mg daily) did not show a statistically significant difference in bone mineral density across the entire study population.
• In a crucial subgroup analysis, participants with baseline vitamin D insufficiency showed significant improvements in lumbar spine bone mineral apparent density (LS-BMAD) after 48 weeks of supplementation.
• The intervention was found to be safe, with no drug-related severe adverse events reported, supporting its potential as a low-cost public health intervention.
• Vitamin D insufficiency was highly prevalent (76%) among adolescents with HIV in the study regions of Zimbabwe and Zambia, highlighting a significant unmet clinical need.