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Vitamin D showed indications of improving atopic dermatitis symptoms

Vitamin D supplementation might help improve clinical signs of atopic dermatitis, and was considered safe and well tolerated as therapy, according to recent study results.

Researchers studied clinical and laboratory data for 95 patients in Poland with atopic dermatitis (AD; mean age, 29.9 years; 53.7% women) and 58 matched healthy controls. Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index measured AD severity. Patients were administered an oral dose of 2,000 IU cholecalciferol daily for 3 consecutive months to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation.

There was no statistical difference in the mean serum concentration of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 (25[OH]D3) between patients with AD (23.05 ± 13.37 ng/mL) and controls (23.81 ± 12.78 ng/mL; P>.05). Patients with AD who had lower 25(OH)D3 levels (84.2% of those with less than 30 ng/mL) had a greater frequency of bacterial skin infections than patients with greater levels (17.6% with at least 30 ng/mL; P=.03). Vitamin D levels and other laboratory and clinical parameters did not display statistical associations in patients with AD. Mean objective SCORAD and SCORAD index were significantly lower following supplementation (P<.05).

Study limitations included that all patients were Caucasian and assessment was based on one supplemental vitamin D dose and treatment duration, the researchers wrote.

“Vitamin D may influence the course of AD,” the researchers concluded. “The results from this study indicate that vitamin D supplementation may ameliorate clinical signs of the disease and can be considered as a safe and well-tolerated form of therapy. However, additional studies on larger groups are needed.”