title: Assessment of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d levels in children with atopic dermatitis: correlation with SCORAD index.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with an immunologic basis. It may have negative medical and social impacts on a patient and his family.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess serum level of vitamin D among children with AD and determine its association with AD severity using the AD Scoring System Index.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine patients with AD in the age group between 2 and 12 years were enrolled in the study. The severity of the disease was determined by the AD scoring system. Thirty controls were recruited. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] were tested using commercial automated chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean value of vitamin D in children with AD was much lower than normal value, and there was a significant difference in the mean values of vitamin D between children with AD (5.4±1.9 ng/mL) and the controls (28.9±2.4 ng/mL). Serum 25(OH)D levels were found to be significantly higher in mild AD (14.6±3.5 ng/mL) compared with moderate (5.5±3.1 ng/mL) or severe AD (0.3±0.1 ng/mL); P<0.001.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with AD have lower serum vitamin D levels than normal. Vitamin D deficiency might be related to the severity of AD.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of *Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology, and †Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qina, Egypt; and ‡Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Moustafa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: El Taieb
authors.forename: Hanan M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Fayed
authors.forename: Sanaa S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Aly
authors.forename: Ahmed K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D