title: Vitamin D insufficiency in a large MCTD population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the vitamin D status in patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and to determine which clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters and endothelial cell markers are associated with low vitamin D levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  125 female MCTD patients and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The clinical symptoms, autoantibodies (anti-U1-RNP, anti-cardiolipin - anti-CL and anti-endothelial cell antibody - AECA), serum cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-12, IL-23, IL-17 and IL-10), soluble endothelial cell markers (endothelin, thrombomodulin - TM, and von Willebrand factor antigen - vWFAg) and serum lipids (total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-C, HDL-C, apolipoprotein A1, and apolipoprotein B) were investigated for an association with vitamin D levels by univariate and multivariate statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean vitamin D levels were significantly lower in MCTD patients, as compared with the control group (26.16±13.50ng/ml vs. 34.92±9.64ng/ml; p<0.001). In laboratory parameters, vitamin D levels were inversely associated with serum IL-6 (p<0.001), IL-23 (p=0.011), IL-10 (p=0.033) cytokine levels, TM (p=0.001) and endothelin (p=0.033) levels. Low vitamin D levels were also significantly associated with carotid artery intima media thickness (p<0.001), fibrinogen (p=0.010), total cholesterol (p=0.042) and ApoA1 (p=0.004) levels. Among the clinical symptoms, the cardiovascular involvement showed an inverse correlation with vitamin D status in MCTD (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency is high in patients with MCTD. We assume that vitamin D insufficiency along with inflammatory parameters and lipid abnormalities may provoke cardiovascular events.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Medicine, Medical and Health Science Center, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Agota
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hajas
authors.forename: Janos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandor
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Csathy
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Csipo
authors.forename: Sandor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barath
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paragh
authors.forename: Ildiko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Seres
authors.forename: Gyula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szegedi
authors.forename: Yehuda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoenfeld
authors.forename: Edit
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bodolay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008947:Mixed Connective Tissue Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D014807:Vitamin D