title: Vitamin D deficiency in multiple sclerosis: Should testing and treatment be based on racial background?
abstract: Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D may have a protective effect and lower the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). For patients with MS, maintaining an adequate level of vitamin D level is probably associated with lessening of the frequency and severity of their symptoms. However, what remains unclear is whether if this is true across all racial/ethnic backgrounds. In African-Americans (AAs) this effect is not only absent but curiously enough, low levels of vitamin D do not matter since the bioavailability of this molecule in AA subjects is normal. It is this paradox that led to this brief report and we suggest more research and database construction based on race/ethnicity be done, as a first step to understand the biological mechanisms that confer or negate the effect of vitamin D levels in MS.
authors: Neuroscience Associates, Greenville Health System, Greenville, SC 29615, United States. Electronic address: javasarala@ghs.org.
authors: Jagannadha
authors: J
authors: Avasarala
authors: Cape Endocrinology Associates, St Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau, MO 63703, United States.
authors: Phenu
authors: P
authors: Zachariah
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology*; D001682:Biological Availability; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology*; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: African-Americans; Big data; Caucasians; Databases; Multiple sclerosis; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D supplementation