Vitamin D HIV Study on Postmenopausal Women

Inclusion Criteria:

• HIV+ African American and Latina postmenopausal women, aged 40-70, who meet the standard definition of menopause:

If 50 years old or older then amenorrhea for > 1year. If age 40 to 49 then amenorrhea for over a year and and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) level of equal to or greater than 20 mIU/ml; as some amenorrheic chronically ill women may have hypothalamic dysfunction and low FSH values, if FSH is 10 to 19, and the serum estradiol level is consistent with menopause less than or equal to 30pg/ml, she will be determined to be postmenopausal.

• On stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) for >2 years
• Undetectable HIV RNA (viral load) at least 2 times over the past year (RNA <400)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Metabolic bone disease (Paget's disease, clinical osteomalacia, primary hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia)
• Multiple myeloma, solid tumors with metastases;
• Endocrinopathy (hyperthyroidism, untreated hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma)
• Renal insufficiency (serum creatinine above 1.5 mg/dl)
• Liver disease (AST, ALT, bilirubin, total alkaline phosphatase activity > twice upper normal limit);
• Intestinal disorders (celiac disease, pancreatic insufficiency, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis)
• Current use of glucocorticoids, anticonvulsants, anticoagulants, diuretics, methotrexate;
• Current or past use of drug therapies for osteoporosis (raloxifene, bisphosphonates, calcitonin, PTH). Women on estrogen are excluded. Past estrogen use is permitted if discontinued >1 year before enrollment.
• If there is a history of a low trauma fracture, a T score < -3 or a prevalent vertebral fracture on Instant Vertebral Assessment™ (IVA), subjects will be referred for osteoporosis treatment as appropriate.
• Severe vitamin D deficiency (25-OHD level <10 ng/ml) or normal baseline serum vitamin D (25-OHD >32 ng/ml). Subjects with severe vitamin D deficiency may be referred to our sub-study, if all other inclusion/exclusion criteria are met.
• Hypercalcemia or history of calcium-containing kidney stones
• Known allergy/sensitivity or any hypersensitivity to components of study drugs or their formulations
• Current imprisonment or voluntary incarceration in a medical facility for psychiatric illness
• Any condition that, in the opinion of the site investigator, would compromised the subject's ability to participate in the study