Evaluation of Vitamin D Status in Newly Diagnosed Pemphigus Vulgaris Patients

BACKGROUND Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disorder of the skin or mucosa. Since low vitamin D status has been linked to many immune disorders, we designed this study to compare the vitamin D status in PV patients with healthy controls. METHODS In this case-control study, vitamin D status of 32 newly diagnosed PV patients was compared with 36 healthy control subjects. All patients were selected from the specialized dermatology departments of Razi Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences in a 2-year period (2009-2010). The severity of the disease was estimated according to Harman's scores. Serum concentration of 25(OH)D was measured by Roche Elecsys System. Data were analyzed by independent t-test. RESULTS Both groups were similar based on sex, age and body mass index. The mean duration of disease was 5.57±0.93 months. The mean oral and skin severities were 1.81±0.20 and 2.31±0.17 respectively, based on Harman's scores. Serum 25(OH)D was significantly lower in PV patients compared to controls (-8.90; 95% CI, 2.29-15.51 and P = 0.009). There was a negative correlation between vitamin D level and the oral severity of disease (r = -0.39 and P = 0.02). CONCLUSION PV patients had significantly lower serum level of 25(OH)D compared to healthy subjects which might contribute to worsen the disease. These data indicate the importance of improving vitamin D level in pemphigus patients.