15. Characteristics of trials evaluating Vitamin D supplements versus placebo.
| Trial ID | Country | Participants | Baseline ART use | Mean baseline blood 25(OH)2 vitamin D concentration (ng/mL)1 | Mean baseline CD4+ cell count (cells/mm3) | Mean baseline viral load (log10 copies/mL) | Dose2 | Duration of supplementation |
| Bang 2012 DEN | Denmark | HIV‐positive men | 100% | 27.2 (11.5) 29.2 (12.4) |
507 (268) 463 (197) |
Not reported | 100,000 IU then 1200 IU | Single dose at baseline then daily for 16 weeks (plus 1200 mg calcium daily) |
| Giacomet 2013 ITA | Italy | HIV‐positive; ≤ 30 years | 86% | 15 (median)3 | 663 (median) 673 (median) |
Not reported | 100,000 IU | Single dose at baseline and at 3, 6, and 9 months |
| Overton 2015 USA | USA | HIV‐positive men and women | 0%4 | 26.7 (median) 25.1 (median) |
346 (median) 337 (median) |
4.5 | 4000 IU | Daily for 48 weeks (plus 100 mg calcium) |
| Stallings 2014 USA | USA | HIV‐positive; ≤ 25 years | 76% | 18.2 (8.4) 17.7 (9) |
Not reported5 | 3.17 (0.96)6 | 7000 IU | Daily for 12 months |
| Wejse 2009 GNB | Guinea‐Bissau | HIV‐positive plus active TB | 0% | Not reported for HIV‐positive participants | Not reported for HIV‐positive participants | Not reported | 100,000 IU | Single dose at baseline, 5, 8 months |
Abbreviations: ART: antiretroviral therapy; IU: International units; TB: Tuberculosis
1Reference value for vitamin D sufficiency: 25 (OH) vitamin D ≥ 30 ng/mL. 2RDA for a male aged 19 to 70 years ranges between 5 to 15 µg (200 to 600 IU) daily. 3Giacomet 2013 ITA: only participants with low blood vitamin D concentrations were included in the trial (25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL). 4Overton 2015 USA: all trial participants were intiated on ART at baseline. 5Stallings 2014 USA: 62% of partcipants had a CD4 cell count > 500 cells/mm3. 6Stallings 2014 USA: 44% of trial participants presented with a detectable viral load at baseline (vitamin D group:13, placebo group: 11).