Vitamin D status in patients with psoriasis

Introduction: Vitamin D may act as immune modulator in psoriasis and be related with disease characteristics. Our study aimed to evaluate the vitamin D status in patients admitted for diagnostics or exacerbation of psoriasis.Material and methods: 92 patients (50 male, 42 female, mean age 55 years) were included in analysis. Disease severity was assessed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Type of disease was classified according to age at presentation as early (up to 40 years) and late (above 40 years). Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25(OH)D, were tested with immune fluorescent method (ADVIA Centaur Vitamin D Total, Siemens).Results: The mean level of 25(OH)D in psoriatic patients was 12.07 ng/ml (30.18 nmol/l), found at low limit of insufficiency; related 95% CI range was 10.55 - 13.60 ng/ml (26.38 - 33.99 nmol/l). A total of 45 of 92 patients (48.9%) had vitamin D insufficiency (defined as 25 (OH) D level of 10 to 30 ng/ml), 44 patients (47.82%) had deficiency (< 10 ng/ml) and only in 3 patients 25(OH)D was assessed at level of sufficiency. Vitamin D level correlate with PASI (r=-0.508), but does not correlate with C-reactive protein. No significant difference in vitamin D status was observed in patients with obesity and early type 1 psoriasis.Conclusion: High prevalence (47.83%) of vitamin D deficiency in patients with moderate and severe psoriasis suspects the role of vitamin D in pathogenesis of disease exacerbation. Vitamin D therapeutic supplementation needs to be clarified by further studies