title: Association between Micronutrient Levels and Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria.
abstract: Previous reports have suggested a possible role for vitamin D in the etiology of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU); however, little information is available regarding the role of other micronutrients. We, therefore, analyzed vitamin D, vitamin B12, and ferritin levels in CSU patients (n = 282) from a preexisting database at Southampton General Hospital. Data were compared against mean micronutrient levels of the general population of the UK, obtained from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Vitamin D levels of CSU patients were found to be higher than those of the general UK population (P = 0.001). B12 levels were lower in patients with CSU (P < 0.001) than in the general population. Ferritin levels were found to be lower in male CSU patients than in the general male population (P = 0.009). This association between low B12 and iron levels and CSU might indicate a causal link, with micronutrient replacement as a potential therapeutic option.
authors.affiliation: MSc Allergy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK ; Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Chiayi County 62247, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Han
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Efrem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eren
authors.affiliation: MSc Allergy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.
authors.forename: Michael Roger
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ardern-Jones
authors.affiliation: MSc Allergy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK ; The David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Center, Isle of Wight PO30 5TG, UK ; University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2UP, UK.
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Venter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014581:Urticaria / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018977:Micronutrients; D014807:Vitamin D; D005293:Ferritins; D014805:Vitamin B 12