Comparison of plasma vitamin D levels in patients with Sjögren's syndrome and healthy subjects.
OBJECTIVE
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the salivary and lacrimal glands. There is increasing evidence indicating that vitamin D is important in the initiation and propogation of a range of autoimmune diseases which may include SS. The aim of the present study was to evaluate plasma vitamin D (vit D) levels in patients with SS and to compare this with a control group.


METHODS
One hundred and seven SS patients (97 [90.7%] female and 10 [9.3%] male) and 74 healthy controls (64 [86.5%] female and 10 [13.5%] male) were included into the study. Plasma baseline 25-hydroxy-vit D levels were measured by high-powered liquid chromatography method using an Agilent 1100 liquid chromatograph.


RESULTS
Plasma vit D levels in SS patients (20.5 ± 10.5 μg/L) were significantly lower than in the control group (28.4 ± 15.2 μg/L) (P < 0.001). Female SS patients had significanly lower vit D levels (19.3 ± 9.3 μg/L) than controls (28.3 ± 15.8 μg/L) (P < 0.001) but this difference was not present among the male patients and controls. There was no correlation between plasma vit D levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein in SS patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Vit D deficiency was frequent in patients with SS. In particular, female SS patients had the risk of vit D deficiency. It may be convenient to look for vit D deficiency and to correct vit D nutritional status in SS patients.
Division of Rheumatology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Şükran
Ş
Erten
Ali
A
Şahin
Alpaslan
A
Altunoğlu
Emin
E
Gemcioğlu
Cemile
C
Koca
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology
D015415:Biomarkers; D014807:Vitamin D; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
Sjögren's syndrome; autoimmunity; vitamin D