A recent Turkish study suggests that routine blood tests measuring vitamin D levels and white-cell ratios could help identify diabetic foot patients at higher risk of severe illness and prolonged hospital stays, highlighting the potential for low-cost, accessible markers in managing diabetic complications.
A new study from Türkiye suggests that two routine hospital tests , a vitamin D blood measurement and a common white-cell ratio , may help identify people with diabetic foot infections who are at greater risk of severe illness and longer admissions.
Published in BMC Endocrine Disorders on 30 August 2026, the research looked at 220 adults admitted with diabetic foot infection at Adana City Training and Research Hospital. The authors, Muhammet Ateş and Barış Karagün, found that 49.5% of patients were vitamin D deficient on admission. Those with low vitamin D levels were more likely to have higher body mass index readings, poorer long-term glucose control and longer hospital stays than patients with adequate levels.
The findings fit with earlier research. Studies published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2013 and 2014 also linked vitamin D deficiency to diabetic foot infection, including higher levels of inflammatory cytokines in more severe cases. A 2019 systematic review in Nutrients and a 2023 meta-analysis in the International Wound Journal both suggested that low vitamin D is associated with diabetic foot ulcers, with supplementation possibly helping wound healing and prevention.
In the Turkish study, patients with low vitamin D also showed higher inflammation markers derived from standard blood counts, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the systemic immune-inflammation index. More severe infections were associated with lower vitamin D levels and stronger inflammatory signals. However, the authors said the study does not prove that vitamin D deficiency causes worse outcomes, only that it travels with them.
That caution matters. The work was retrospective, single-centre and based on hospital records, so low vitamin D could be a marker of overall illness rather than a direct driver of infection severity. Still, the results add to evidence that simple, low-cost blood tests may help clinicians spot patients who need closer monitoring, and they reinforce the idea that vitamin D status deserves attention in diabetic foot care.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
