Plasma Vitamin D levels in Patients with Vitiligo

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Vitiligo is an acquired skin disease characterized by depigmentation and characterized by loss of epidermal melanocytes in the skin. The low levels of Vitamin D have been observed in vitiligo patients and with other autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether 25(OH) Vitamin D levels are associated with clinical types and features of vitiligo. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with vitiligo and 60 healthy volunteers were included in our study. The patients were divided into four groups; patients newly diagnosed with vitiligo in the winter season (W-VP), participants who visited the clinic in the winter season and were found to be healthy (W-HP), patients newly diagnosed with vitiligo in the summer season (S-VP), and participants who visited the clinic in the summer season and were found to be healthy (S-HP). Participants' age, sex, incidence of other autoimmune diseases among participants and their families, clinical type of vitiligo (localized (focal, segmental, or mucosal), common (acrofacial, vulgaris, or mixed), or universal), and 25(OH) Vitamin D levels were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-five (41.7%) of the patients and 33 (55%) of the control group were women. The mean age of vitiligo group was 42.2+-13.29 years and the mean age of control group was 30.5+-12.6 years. The groups were similar in terms of age and sex (p>0.05). About 45% of the patients were localized, 53.32% were widespread, and 1.6% were universal type vitiligo. Another autoimmune disease was accompanying in 55%. No significant difference was found between the W-VP and S-VP groups in terms of vitiligo types (p>0.05). The incidences of other autoimmune diseases among the families of patients with vitiligo did not differ between both the sexes (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the clinical types of vitiligo and incidence of autoimmune diseases (p>0.05). The 25(OH) Vitamin D levels of participants in the W-VP and S-VP groups were statistically lower than those of participants in the W-HP and S-HP groups (p<0.05). Comparison of the 25(OH) Vitamin D levels of the W-VH with S-VP groups and the W-HP with S-HP groups did not show any statistically significant difference (p>0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between patients with autoimmune disease in the W-VH and S-VP groups in terms of clinical type of vitiligo and 25(OH) Vitamin D levels (p>0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Plasma 25 (OH) Vitamin D level is lower in vitiligo patients compared to the normal population. Vitamin D supplementation can be effective in the treatment and control of vitiligo.

Keywords

• autoimmunity
• plasma 25(oh) vitamin d
• vitiligo.