EFFECTIVENESS OF VITAMIN D OPTIMIZATION AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD ANALGESIC THERAPY IN ADULTS WITH POST-VIRAL ARTHRALGIA PRESENTING TO FAMILY MEDICINE CLINICS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL.

Abstract

Introduction: The complaint of post-viral arthralgia is a new condition in family medicine and is frequently seen after COVID-19, dengue, and chikungunya-like illness.

Objective: The effectiveness of vitamin D optimization as an adjunct to the standard analgesic therapy in reducing the severity of pain among adults who have post-viral arthralgia and vitamin D insufficiency attending family medicine clinics.

Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial that was carried out over six months in the Family Medicine Outpatient Department, Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital. The study participants were 140 adults with post-viral arthralgia and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D <30 ng/mL who were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling and randomly divided into two equal groups. Group A was given oral cholecalciferol 50,000 IU per week for 8 weeks along with the standard therapy, and Group B was given only the standard therapy. The analysis of the data was performed with SPSS version 27.0.

Results: There were no differences in baseline characteristics between groups (p>0.05). At 8 weeks, Group A showed a significantly greater reduction in mean pain score than Group B (mean reduction 4.1 ± 1.4 vs 2.5 ± 1.3, p<0.001), along with lower Brief Pain Inventory interference scores and lower analgesic requirement. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D level rose significantly more in Group A (p<0.001), and adverse effects were mild and similar between groups (p=0.30).

Conclusion: In vitamin-D-deficient adults with post-viral arthralgia, vitamin D optimization in addition to regular analgesic treatment is able to substantially decrease the severity of arthralgia and enhance functional outcomes.