title: Vitamin D treatment for connective tissue diseases: hope beyond the hype?
abstract: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is increased among patients with CTDs. The active form of vitamin D (calcitriol) is a potent regulator of the immune system and may suppress inflammatory responses. This has led to claims that vitamin D may be a safe treatment, or a treatment adjunct, to reduce systemic inflammation in this patient population. It is important to note, however, that there is insufficient evidence from robust clinical trials to support these novel uses for vitamin D. In this review we examine the potential role of vitamin D as a treatment adjunct for CTDs. We will discuss how vitamin D may modulate the immune response and review the current evidence for using vitamin D to treat CTDs and their associated co-morbidities. We conclude that while there is much excitement about vitamin D in this context, further well-designed trials are needed to demonstrate its efficacy in the treatment of patients with CTDs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester.|NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester ian.bruce@manchester.ac.uk.|NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Ian N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Bruce
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: cardiovascular disease; connective tissue disease; inflammation; systemic lupus erythematosus; vitamin D