Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Vitamin D level in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: its relationship to disease course and bone mineral density
Authors' conclusion
Hypovitaminosis D is quite common in patients with SLE and is associated with high inflammatory activity (SLE Disease Activity Index, ESR, CRP, IL-6), severity of organ damage (Damage Index), cumulative dose of glucocorticoids, BTM changes (decrease in OC, increase in CTX) and BMD decline. Vitamin D status was not associated with the patient's age or disease course.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with SLE and control individuals tested for vitamin D, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, osteocalcin (OC), CTX and bone mineral density (BMD) (DXA, lumbar spine and hip)
- Participants
- 101 vs 29
- Exposure
- Patients with SLE vs control individuals
- SLEn = 101
- Controln = 29reference
- Outcome
- Vitamin D levels and their relationship to BMD and disease course
Methodological detailscontrolled
- Controlled
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Mean serum vitamin D level
- 18.98±0.88 ng/mL
- Vitamin D level in women vs men (lower)
- 25.42% (p<0.05)
- Correlation of vitamin D with cumulative GC dose
- r=−0.26
- Correlation of vitamin D with CRP
- r=−0.39
- Correlation of vitamin D with IL-6
- r=−0.37
- Correlation of vitamin D with ESR
- r=−0.15
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Correlation of vitamin D with GC cumulative dose and inflammatory markers
- Cumulative GC dose, r
- −0.26
- CRP, r
- −0.39
- IL-6, r
- −0.37
- ESR, r
- −0.15
- Vitamin D associated with bone turnover markers (BTMs)
- Significant inverse correlation
BMD in women of reproductive age by vitamin D status
- Lumbar spine and hip BMD with vitamin D deficiency vs no deficiency, higher by
- 9.5-23.1%
- Mean lumbar spine Z-score with insufficiency vs normal vitamin D, times lower
- 2.0
- Mean lumbar spine Z-score with deficiency vs normal vitamin D, times lower
- 2.9
- Significantly lower Z-scores
Original publication
Vitamin D level in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: its relationship to disease course and bone mineral density. Lupus Sci Med. Published 9 August 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →