Serum concentrations of 25-OH vitamin D in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are inversely related to disease activity: is it time to routinely supplement patients with SLE with vitamin D?
BACKGROUND
Low serum vitamin D concentrations have been reported in several autoimmune disorders.


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether low serum vitamin D concentrations are related to disease activity of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).


METHODS
378 patients from several European and Israeli cohorts were pooled and their disease activity was measured by two different methods: 278 patients had SLE disease activity-2000 (SLEDAI-2K) scores and 100 patients had European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement (ECLAM) scores. In order to combine the two systems the scores were converted into standardised values (z-scores), enabling univariate summary statistics for the two variables (SLEDAI-2K and ECLAM). The commercial kit, LIAISON 25-OH vitamin D assay (310900-Diasorin) was used to measure serum concentration of 25-OH vitamin D in 378 patients with SLE.


RESULTS
A significant negative correlation was demonstrated between the serum concentration of vitamin D and the standardised values (z-scores) of disease activity scores as measured by the SLEDAI-2K and ECLAM scales (Pearson's correlation coefficient r=-0.12, p=0.018).


CONCLUSIONS
In a cohort of patients with SLE originating from Israel and Europe vitamin D serum concentrations were found to be inversely related to disease activity.
Amital
H
H
Department of Medicine 'B' and Centre for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Centre, (Affiliated to Tel-Aviv University) Tel-Hashomer 52621, Israel.
Szekanecz
Z
Z
Szücs
G
G
Dankó
K
K
Nagy
E
E
Csépány
T
T
Kiss
E
E
Rovensky
J
J
Tuchynova
A
A
Kozakova
D
D
Doria
A
A
Corocher
N
N
Agmon-Levin
N
N
Barak
V
V
Orbach
H
H
Zandman-Goddard
G
G
Shoenfeld
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult
D014807:Vitamin D