Vitamin D is a factor in autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that has not been well-studied in regard to vitamin D status. The authors studied blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in recently diagnosed cases of SLE and compared them to the same test levels in normal controls.
Sixty-seven percent of the patients showed low levels of vitamin D. The levels were lower in African American SLE patients than in Caucasians. Severely low levels of vitamin D were found in patients with renal disease and low levels were seen in SLE patients with photosensitivity.
CONCLUSION: The authors say that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for SLE and that future studies should be done to study the role of vitamin D in therapy and treatment of SLE.
PMID: 16431339.
Summary #042.
