Sebastian Straube (Editor)
R. Andrew Moore (Editor)
Sheena Derry (Editor)
Henry J. McQuay (Editor)
University of Göttingen, Germany, and others

Series: Nutrition and Diet Research Progress, Pain and its Origins, Diagnosis and Treatments
BISAC: MED060000

To assess the merits of vitamin D supplementation it is necessary to establish efficacy and safety of such treatment in each proposed area of benefit. There is some support for the idea of a link between vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain, provided largely by observational studies and circumstantial evidence. Higher quality studies that limit bias – randomised controlled trials (RCTs) – are few, small, and have so far been largely negative or inconclusive. What is now needed is studies of high methodological quality and with better analysis and reporting of study results. Here we discuss the evidence presently available and how future studies ought to be designed, analysed, and reported to determine the usefulness of vitamin D treatment for chronic pain. This book examines the issues of trial design, e.g. trial inclusion criteria, enrollment strategy, choice of outcomes, and methods of analysis. (Imprint: Nova Biomedical)