Vitamin D status in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa

<b>What the study adds.</b> This is the first study to provide prevalence data regarding vitamin D status in COPD patients in sub-Saharan Africa. The study highlights a relationship between vitamin D status and both symptom severity and sunlight exposure.<b>Implications of the findings.</b> Owing to the high prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D status among COPD patients, it may be useful to screen patients for vitamin D deficiency, especially those with a more severe phenotype. There may be scope for further studies to evaluate whether vitamin D supplementation corrects the deficiency and provides any clinical outcome benefit.