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Winter SLE flares associated with low vitamin D
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Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus had lower levels of vitamin D in the summer than healthy participants, but supplementation in winter was negatively associated with flare of disease activity, according to data from a study in northern Italy.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study of 45 female and five male patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by comparing vitamin D levels in patients with 106 healthy control female and 64 male participants in summer and winter from a single clinic in northern Italy. A total of 117 samples were collected during winter months, defined as October through March, and 53 samples were collected during summer months of April through September.
Disease activity was measured using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and disease flare was defined as a SLEDAI score of four or greater. Vitamin D insufficiency was defined as values between 10 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL and deficiency was defined as a value below 10 ng/mL.
Seasonal variations were observed in both patients and healthy participants. During winter, 67% of patients with SLE had insufficient levels of vitamin D compared with 82% of control participants. During the summer, 55% of patients with SLE had insufficient levels, compared with 24% of control participants. Thirty (60%) of the 50 patients with SLE took vitamin D supplementation during the winter and had significantly higher levels, but levels were still more likely to be insufficient, according to the researchers.
Among the 30 patients with disease flare, 77% had renal flare, but no significant association was seen between renal and non-renal flares and levels of vitamin D. However, when winter and summer flare activity was compared with periods of remission, winter flares were associated significantly with low levels of vitamin D. No difference was observed in summer flares, according to the researchers. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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