title: Estimation of vitamin D levels in rheumatoid arthritis patients and its correlation with the disease activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect level of serum vitamin D in patients of Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to establish relationship between serum vitamin D level and disease activity in RA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients of RA fulfilling 1987 revised criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) of RA classification and eighty healthy controls were included in the study. 25 (OH) vitamin D levels were measured. Disease activity was assessed by DAS-28 score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety percent of RA patients were either vitamin D deficient or insufficient while only seventy percent of healthy controls were either vitamin D deficient or insufficient(p=0.007). Mean serum vitamin D levels of RA patients was significantly low compared to healthy controls (p=0.009). Thirty-one patients had high disease activity (DAS-28 score >5.1, group A), 32 patients had moderate disease activity (DAS 28 score 3.2-5.1, group B) and 17 patients had low disease activity (DAS-28 score <3.2, group C). Vitamin D levels in high disease activity group was significantly low compared to vitamin D level in patients with low and moderate disease activity (p<.001) and vitamin D level had significant negative correlation with DAS28 score (r=-0.604, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum vitamin D levels were significantly low in RA patients than in healthy controls. Vitamin D deficiency was seen in significantly higher numbers of patients and vitamin D had negative correlation with disease activity in RA.
authors: Rajeev
authors: R
authors: Sharma
authors: Renu
authors: R
authors: Saigal
authors: Laxmikant
authors: L
authors: Goyal
authors: Pradeep
authors: P
authors: Mital
authors: R N
authors: RN
authors: Yadav
authors: P D
authors: PD
authors: Meena
authors: Abhishek
authors: A
authors: Agrawal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D