Serum levels of free and bioavailable vitamin D are not signi\uf001cantly associated with severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as measured by the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI), a new study reports.<\/p>\n
Instead, reduced serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was associated with increased disease severity, which shows the strong vitamin D de\uf001ciency in patients with SLE.<\/p>\n
From an initial 350, a total of 199 patients with SLE, as per the criteria of the 1997 American College of Rheumatology, were enrolled in the study following application of the exclusion criteria. Another group of 150 healthy blood donors was designated as the control group.<\/p>\n
Those using rituximab or plasmapheresis six months prior to the study, who have other systemic autoimmune diseases, who have had bone marrow transplant, with neoplastic disease, who have common variable immunode\uf001ciency and AIDS were excluded from the study.<\/p>\n
The following information were collected from the medical records: sex, ethnicity, age, weight, disease duration, height and medications. Nephritis was determined using the protein-to-creatinine ratio in the urine, red blood cell casts or renal biopsy.<\/p>\n
The SLEDAI, employed at the time of blood sample collection, was then used to assess the severity of the disease. Participants were categorized according to severity: inactive disease, light activity, moderate activity, high activity and severe activity. Each severity level corresponds to a range of SLEDAI scores.<\/p>\n
From the collected blood samples, 25(OH)D serum levels were measured using the chemiluminescence technique. The vitamin D binding protein was measured using monoclonal antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and these measurements were used to calculate for the levels of free vitamin D. Of 199 patients, 71.4 percent or 142 showed serum 25(OH)D levels of lower than 30 ng\/mL. Interestingly, the levels of 25(OH)D in the serum samples were consistently associated with the disease activity across the \uf001ve groups of SLEDAI.<\/p>\n
Speci\uf001cally, participants de\uf001ned to have only a light activity of the disease were found to have higher serum concentrations of 25(OH)D while those in the severe activity category had reduced 25(OH)D serum levels (p<0.05).<\/p>\n
In contrast, no signi\uf001cant correlation was found between the levels of free vitamin D in the blood (as calculated by the vitamin D binding protein measurements) and disease activity.<\/p>\n
Findings revealed that vitamin D de\uf001ciency, as measured by the serum levels of 25(OH)D, was prevalent in Serum levels of free and bioavailable vitamin D are not signi\uf001cantly associated with severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as measured by the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI), a new study reports.<\/p>\n
Instead, reduced serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was associated with increased disease severity, which shows the strong vitamin D de\uf001ciency in patients with SLE.<\/p>\n
From an initial 350, a total of 199 patients with SLE, as per the criteria of the 1997 American College of Rheumatology, were enrolled in the study following application of the exclusion criteria. Another group of 150 healthy blood donors was designated as the control group.<\/p>\n
Those using rituximab or plasmapheresis six months prior to the study, who have other systemic autoimmune diseases, who have had bone marrow transplant, with neoplastic disease, who have common variable immunode\uf001ciency and AIDS were excluded from the study.<\/p>\n
The following information were collected from the medical records: sex, ethnicity, age, weight, disease duration, height and medications. Nephritis was determined using the protein-to-creatinine ratio in the urine, red blood cell casts or renal biopsy.<\/p>\n
The SLEDAI, employed at the time of blood sample collection, was then used to assess the severity of the disease. Participants were categorized according to severity: inactive disease, light activity, moderate activity, high activity and severe activity. Each severity level corresponds to a range of SLEDAI scores.<\/p>\n
From the collected blood samples, 25(OH)D serum levels were measured using the chemiluminescence technique. The vitamin D binding protein was measured using monoclonal antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and these measurements were used to calculate for the levels of free vitamin D. Of 199 patients, 71.4 percent or 142 showed serum 25(OH)D levels of lower than 30 ng\/mL. Interestingly, the levels of 25(OH)D in the serum samples were consistently associated with the disease activity across the \uf001ve groups of SLEDAI.<\/p>\n
Speci\uf001cally, participants de\uf001ned to have only a light activity of the disease were found to have higher serum concentrations of 25(OH)D while those in the severe activity category had reduced 25(OH)D serum levels (p<0.05).<\/p>\n
In contrast, no signi\uf001cant correlation was found between the levels of free vitamin D in the blood (as calculated by the vitamin D binding protein measurements) and disease activity.<\/p>\n
Findings revealed that vitamin D de\uf001ciency, as measured by the serum levels of 25(OH)D, was prevalent in patients with SLE and was related to disease severity. patients with SLE and was related to disease severity.
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