Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and the Risk of Post-Traumatic Wound Infection

Abstract

Post-traumatic wound infection is commonly observed in trauma patients and has a poor prognosis. Vitamin D is a significant modulator of the immune system and may play a role in preventing wound infection. However, the inherent limitations and inconsistent results of previous observational studies restricted them from inferring causal effects. We employed Mendelian randomization design to estimate the causal effects of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels on the risk of post-traumatic wound infection. Data in the analysis were extracted from large-scale genome-wide association studies with 417,580 individuals for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurements and 218,546 individuals for post-traumatic wound infection. Multivariable Mendelian randomization analyses were performed to adjust for confounding variables. We also conducted extensive sensitivity analyses to verify the main results. The results revealed a causal relationship between higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and a lower post-traumatic wound infection risk (OR=0.473, p=0.014). The causality remained after adjustment of potential confounding factors according to Multivariable Mendelian randomization analyses (OR=0.361, p<0.001). Sensitivity tests suggested the reliability of our findings. This study indicated a causal association between genetically predicted high serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and a decreased risk of post-traumatic wound infection.