Assessment of serum vitamin D level in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

To evaluate the serum level of vitamin D in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its relationship with disease activity. Forty patients suffering from SLE were enrolled in this study (group I). They were further divided into two subgroups according to the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score: group Ia with respect to disease activity and group Ib with respect to disease remission. Another 20 age-matched and sex-matched healthy individuals were chosen as control group II. All patients underwent complete medical history taking and thorough clinical examination; the disease activity was assessed by the use of SLEDAI score. Serum vitamin D level in all patients and controls was measured. Vitamin D level was significantly higher in controls than in patients. The vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent among patients with disease activity than in the remission group. There was highly significant inverse correlation between vitamin D level and SLEDAI score in the patient group. Vitamin D level correlated inversely with C reactive protein (CRP) and anti-dsDNA in the disease activity group, whereas it correlated positively with C3. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in SLE patients more than in healthy controls; vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among patients with disease activity than in the remission group, and vitamin D level correlated inversely with disease activity, which suggest that inadequate vitamin D level, among other factors, probably contributed to the development of active disease in patients with SLE.