title: Does replacement of vitamin D reduce the symptom scores and improve quality of life in patients with chronic urticaria?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D plays a key role in the immune responses generated by lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells. Decreased vitamin 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels have been implicated in several allergic disorders and association between 25(OH)D levels and chronic urticaria (CU) symptom scores has been evaluated in a few studies. This study was performed to assess the effects of vitamin D supplementation on the symptoms and quality of life scores in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and to vitamin D levels in CSU patients in comparison with controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight CSU patients and forty-five controls were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to severity of the disease; as mild/moderate and severe urticaria. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations were measured in serum of CSU patients and compared with the control groups. In patients with 25(OH)D concentrations lower than 30 µg/L, 300 000 IU/month of vitamin D3 supplementation was added to standard therapy. The clinical improvement was evaluated after 3 months with urticaria activity score (UAS4) and Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire (CU-Q2oL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum 25(OH)D concentration was significantly lower in CSU group compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.001). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 (µg/L) and insufficiency (<30 µg/L) was significantly higher in CSU patients than control groups. In addition, 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly lower in both mild-moderate and severe CSU patients than those of the controls (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively). Ninety eight percent of patients (25(OH)D < 30 µg/L) were treated with vitamin D3 (300 000 IU/month) supplementation, and after 12 weeks, these patients showed significant improvements in UAS4 and CU-Q2oL scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study support the contributing and beneficial effects of vitamin D in the treatment of CU. Replacement of vitamin D may provide improvement in both the severity of symptoms and the quality of life scores in these patients.
authors: a Department of Dermatology , Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors: Ilteris
authors: I
authors: Oguz Topal
authors: a Department of Dermatology , Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors: Emek
authors: E
authors: Kocaturk
authors: a Department of Dermatology , Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors: Sule
authors: S
authors: Gungor
authors: b Department of Biochemistry , Adana Public Health Laboratory , Adana , Turkey , and.
authors: Mustafa
authors: M
authors: Durmuscan
authors: c Department of Biochemistry , Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors: Veysel
authors: V
authors: Sucu
authors: c Department of Biochemistry , Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors: Sembol
authors: S
authors: Yıldırmak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002762:Cholecalciferol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014581:Urticaria / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D; D002762:Cholecalciferol; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
keywords: Quality of life; urticaria; urticaria activity score; vitamin D