Prevalence of 25-OH vitamin D deficiency in a population of hemodialysis patients and efficacy of an oral ergocalciferol supplementation regimen.

Background/aims: Optimal dosing regimens for 25-OH vitamin D (VitD) deficiency are unknown in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of prescribing ergocalciferol supplementation based on KDOQI guidelines for chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages III-IV in HD patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 96 urban, predominately African-American HD patients at a single-center dialysis unit with VitD insufficiency or deficiency treated with ergocalciferol.