Dr Dhruv Parekh explains his research on acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, and how it might be impacted by vitamin D deficiency. *Please see pinned comment for updates connected to coronavirus.*
ARDS is a life-threatening condition characterised by widespread inflammation in the lungs. Around 1 in 5 people who develop ARDS will die. While vitamin D is traditionally associated with calcium regulation, it also is involved in a range of other processes, including regulating antimicrobial compounds and apoptosis. There is also a connection between worse outcomes in critically ill patients and vitamin D deficiency, although it’s unclear if the deficiency is a cause or an effect of ARDS.
Here, Dr Parekh explains his research investigating mechanisms behind the connection between ARDS and vitamin D deficiency, using animal experiments to investigate how vitamin D deficiency in mice affects response to infection, and how this might impact our future understanding of how ARDS is caused and may be treated.
Dr Dhruv Parekh is a Clinical Lecturer in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Birmingham and an Honorary Consultant in Intensive (Critical) Care Medicine at University Hospital Birmingham.
He gave this presentation, “Vitamin D deficiency and bacterial load in a murine model of sepsis -induced lung injury”, at the 2014 Academy of Medical Sciences Spring Meeting for Clinician Scientists in Training, which brought together 250 attendees from across the UK to discuss their research.
For more information about the Academy’s Spring Meeting for Clinician Scientists in Training, visit
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