| Causes of Scleroderma (MAIN MENU) |
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Vitamin D Deficiency, Sunshine, and Scleroderma |
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Overview |
| Vitamin D's major biological function is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Recent studies have demonstrated that individuals with low blood levels of vitamin D are at a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases. |
| Vitamin D and autoimmunity. A review of the experimental, epidemiological and clinical studies illustrating the potential role of vitamin D in the development and perpetuation of autoimmune diseases. PubMed. Rev Med Interne. 2012 Feb;33(2):87-93. |
| The Biology Of Vitamin D: Classical And Non-Classical Actions. Innate and adaptive immunity may be profoundly affected in patients who are vitamin D insufficient, leading to increased risk of immune-related diseases. The aim of this presentation will be to describe the mechanisms that make up the vitamin D system and to provide an introduction to their integration with human immunity. M. Hewison. EULAR 2011 SP0203. Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70(Suppl3):54. |
| Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D. Information about the popular supplement from Office of Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health. (Also see: Supplements) |
| Study: Exercise, tea and vitamin D to ward off dementia. Improved living and diet habits — including lots of physical activity, regular tea-drinking and sufficient vitamin D levels — could reduce the risk of brain decline, according to three studies. USA Today. July 11, 2010 (Also see: Foods and Health) |
| What lies behind the vitamin D revolution? We now recognize that vitamin D transcends the definition of a mere vitamin: It is actually a prohormone, and vitamin D receptors are expressed by cells in most organs, including the brain, heart, skin, gonads, prostate gland, and mammary glands. Ronald L. Hoffman, MD. Cortlandt Form. 03/08/10. |
Autoimmune Diseases and Vitamin D |
| Vitamin D supplementation, moderate sun exposure, and control of immune diseases. There is considerable debate about the benefits of vitamin D supplementation for multiple sclerosis, allergic asthma, and type 1 diabetes. Randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation to treat these (and other) diseases have been disappointing. Discov Med. 2012 Jun;13(73):397-404. |
| The Effect Of Vitamin D On The Innate Immune Response In Arthritis. Vitamin D seems to act as one of the most important endogenous dowregulators of the innate immune response, at least in autoimmune rheumatic diseases. M. Cutolo. EULAR 2011 SP0204. Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70 (Suppl3):55. |
| 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Vitamin D Deficiency in Children with Rheumatologic Disorders and Controls. Twenty percent of patients attending a pediatric rheumatology clinic were vitamin D deficient. Patients with autoimmune disorders were more likely to be vitamin D deficient than patients with nonautoimmune conditions. Screening of serum 25(OH)D levels should be performed for patients with autoimmune disorders. Christina F. Pelajo. Journal of Rheumatology. July 15, 2011. (Also see: Rheumatic Disease) |
| Assessment Of Bone Density (BMD) In Women With Systemic Scleroderma (SSc) and Its Relationships With Disease Parameters And Vitamin D Status. Decreased BMD seems to be associated with prolonged disease duration, severe joint involvement, malabsorption syndrome and immunological status. Also, SSc patients had very low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 than controls. Y. Ibn Yacoub. EULAR 2011 SAT0451. Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70(Suppl3):669. (Also see: Bone Density) |
| Vitamin D Levels And Bone Loss In Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). The lower BMD (bone density) values in SSc patients and the vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency reported in our study may be linked to multiple risk factors, such as insufficient sun exposure due to disability, or disease severity B. Seriolo. EULAR FRI0397. Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70(Suppl3):477. (Also see: Bone Density) |
| Vitamin D: modulator of the immune system. Several epidemiological studies have linked inadequate vitamin D levels to a higher susceptibility of immune-mediated disorders, including chronic infections and autoimmune diseases. Baeke F. (PubMed) Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2010 Aug;10(4):482-96. (Also see: Autoimmunity) |
| Vitamin D and musculoskeletal health, cardiovascular disease, autoimmunity and cancer: Recommendations for clinical practice. The panel reached substantial agreement about the need for vitamin D supplementation in specific groups of patients in these clinical areas and the need for assessing their 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum levels for optimal clinical care. Souberbielle JC. (PubMed) Autoimmun Rev. 2010 Sep;9(11):709-15. |
Deficiencies of Vitamin D |
| What Does Your Birthday Have to Do With Immune Disorders? The month in which babies are born can affect how their immune systems develop, and even how vulnerable they are to autoimmune diseases. Time Healthland. 04/11/13. (Also see: Multiple Sclerosis) |
| Vitamin D and Calcium Supplements May Not Prevent Fractures. For most people, the evidence doesn’t support any bone benefit of the popular supplements. Time Healthland 02/26/2013. (Also see: Scleroderma Supplement Guide: Calcium) |
| Vitamin D Supplementation: What's Known, What to Do, and What's Needed. In patients with documented vitamin D deficiency, a cumulative dose of at least 600,000 IU administered over several weeks appears to be necessary to replenish vitamin D stores. Single large doses of 300,000-500,000 IU should be avoided. Pharmacotherapy. 2012 Apr;32(4):354-82. |
| Vitamin D Status And Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain (CMP) In Older Adults: Is There A Link? The results of the present study demonstrate that patients with CMP have lower levels of vitamin D compared to individuals who are pain-free. S. Abou-Raya. EULAR 2011 OP0258. Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70(Suppl3):156. |
| Study shows vitamin D deficiencies may impact onset of autoimmune lung disease. Researchers evaluated 118 patients. Overall, those with connective tissue disease-related Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency—52 percent versus 20 percent—and insufficiency—79 percent versus 31 percent—than other forms of ILD. Katie Pence, UCAHC. EurekAlert! 01/04/11. (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis) |
| The Impact of Vitamin D on Regulatory T Cells. This review discusses recent evidence that vitamin D promotes-both directly and indirectly-regulatory or suppressor T-cell populations with the capacity to inhibit inappropriate immune responses that cause disease, suggesting that this property may in part underpin the epidemiologic findings. Chambers ES. (PubMed) Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2010 Nov 23. (Also see: B Cells and T Cells) |
| Vitamin D deficiency and reduced lung function in connective tissue-associated interstitial lung diseases (CTD-ILD). There is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with ILD, particularly those with CTD-ILD, and it is associated with reduced lung function. Vitamin D may have a role in the pathogenesis of CTD-ILD. Hagaman JT. (PubMed) Chest. (2010) (Also see: Pulmonary Fibrosis and Connective Tissue Disease) |
Vitamin D Deficiency and Scleroderma |
| Serum 25-OH Vitamin D Concentrations Are Linked With Various Clinical Aspects In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Patients with SSc have significantly lower serum vitamin D concentrations compared to healthy controls; moreover fibrosis of the cutaneous tissue is inversely related to the vitamin D concentration. H. Amital. EULAR 2011 FRI0412. Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70(Suppl3):482. |
| Vitamin D Deficiency in a Cohort of Patients with Systemic Scleroderma (SSc) from the South of Spain. Vitamin D deficiency in SSc seems to be high in different European populations, but studies with a greater number of patients are required to identify the exact role of vitamin D deficiency not only in development of osteopenia, but also in different manifestations of the disease, including systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), disease activity, and presence of lung fibrosis. Raquel Rios Fernandez, MD. The Journal of Rheumatology June 1, 2010 vol. 37 no. 6 1355. |
| Low bone mass in juvenile onset sclerosis systemic (JoSSc): the possible role for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (250HD) insufficiency. We have identified a remarkable high prevalence of 25OHD insufficiency in JoSSc. Its correlation with hip bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) suggests a causal effect and reinforces the need to incorporate this hormone evaluation in this disease management. Samuel Katsuyuki Shinjo (SpringerLink) Rheumatology International 25 March 2010. (Also see: Juvenile Scleroderma) |
| Vitamin D Deficiency and Insufficiency in 2 Independent Cohorts of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis. Vitamin D deficiency was very common in the 2 SSc populations, independent of geographic origin and vitamin D supplementation. This suggests that common vitamin D supplementation does not correct the deficiency in SSc patients, and that a higher dose is probably needed, especially in those with high inflammatory activity or severe disease. Alessandra Vacca J Rheumatol vol. 36 no. 9 1924-1929. September 2009. |
Sunshine Exposure and Protection |
| Safe Sun Protection. For people with specific autoimmune disorders, protection from the sun should be a serious perennial consideration. Conditions such as Lupus, dermatomyositis, scleroderma and vitaligo are autoimmune diseases that are sun-sensitive. Mary Jo DiLonardo. Arthritis Today. July 2009. |
| Sun Exposure May Trigger Certain Autoimmune Diseases in Women. We only found the association between UV exposure and dermatomyositis in women and not in men, and it could be that inherent differences in how women and men respond to UV radiation may play a role in the development of certain autoimmune diseases. Robin Mackar. NIH News. 07/30/09. |
Sunshine and Vitamin D |
| Scientists claim artificial sunshine may be key to treating Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The study shows that UV-B light, which mimics sunshine, can have a striking effect on the immune system of patients. Scotland News. 07/17/12. (Also see: Multiple Sclerosis) |
Supplementation of Vitamin D |
| Before taking supplements of any kind, consult with your physicians. |
| Vitamin D warning: Too much can harm your heart. Scientists have long known that low levels of the nutrient can hurt the heart, but new research shows that higher than normal levels can make it beat too fast and out of rhythm, a condition called atrial fibrillation. MSNBC. 11/18/11. (Also see: Heart Involvement, Scleroderma Supplement Guide) |
