Preoperative Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients With Vitamin D Deficiency Undergoing Total Thyroidectomy.

Abstract Background Transient hypocalcemia due to parathyroid gland or vessel manipulation is a common complication following thyroidectomy. Considering the role of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in calcium hemostasis, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of preoperative vitamin D supplementation on hypocalcemia incidence in thyroidectomy patients. Methods In this randomized clinical trial, 100 patients scheduled for total thyroidectomy and suffering from preoperative moderate or severe vitamin D deficiency were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to either study or control groups using the sealed envelope method. Patients in the study group received vitamin D3 50000-unit pearl weekly for four weeks prior to the operation. The control groups received placebo. Total and ionized serum calcium levels were checked before surgery, the day after surgery, and two weeks postoperatively. Results No significant difference was observed in terms of demographic data. During serial total calcium checks (5 episodes), total calcium levels changed significantly in patients who had received vitamin D supplements compared to the control group (P = 0.043). Symptomatic hypocalcemia incidence was significantly lower in patients supplemented with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) (P= 0.04). Also, the requirement for intravenous calcium administration in order to treat the hypocalcemia symptoms was significantly lower in the study in comparison to the control groups (P= 0.03). Conclusions Vitamin D supplementation in patients with vitamin D deficiency might lead to a lower incidence of early-onset symptomatic hypocalcemia; hence, requiring less calcium supplementation for the management of hypocalcemia.