Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Chronic Fatigue in TBI Patients

In April 2010 Dr. Jessica Schnieders from Rijnstate Hospital in Arnham, The Netherlands, published a study looking at Vitamin D levels and hormone levels in 180 TBI patients (50% of whom had fatigue and 50% of whom did not). She found that 51% of TBI patients were severely fatigued 10 years after their brain injury. She found Vitamin D deficiency in 65% of these patients. Although growth hormone and sex hormone levels were deficient in the fatigued group this was not found to be related to fatigue. Dr. Schnieders speculates that altered lifestyle is the problem and that the fatigued TBI patients persons with TBI are less active and spend less time outside in the sun. She plans to do follow up research to ascertain if giving these persons extra Vitamin D corrects their fatigue condition.