title: Vitamin D and autoimmunity: new aetiological and therapeutic considerations.
abstract: Vitamin D is frequently prescribed by rheumatologists to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Several observations have shown that vitamin D inhibits proinflammatory processes by suppressing the enhanced activity of immune cells that take part in the autoimmune reaction. Moreover, recent evidence strongly suggests that vitamin D supplementation may be therapeutically beneficial, particularly for Th1-mediated autoimmune disorders. Some reports imply that vitamin D may even be preventive in certain disorders such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes type 1. It seems that vitamin D has crossed the boundaries of calcium metabolism and has become a significant factor in a number of physiological functions, specifically as a biological inhibitor of inflammatory hyperactivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine D, Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, affiliated to Tel-Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Israel.
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arnson
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amital
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoenfeld
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D014807:Vitamin D