Evaluation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in vitiligo patients with and without autoimmune diseases

Background Vitiligo is an autoimmune depigmentation disorder, commonly associated with systemic autoimmune diseases. Deficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels have been noted in some patients with autoimmune diseases. Aim To evaluate serum 25(OH)D levels in vitiligo patients with and without systemic autoimmune diseases. Methods A case-control study was conducted on 40 vitiligo patients (20 patients with systemic autoimmune diseases and 20 patients without autoimmune diseases) and 40 age-, gender- and skin phototype-matched healthy controls. Serum 25(OH)D was measured in all subjects, divided into: normal or sufficient (>= 30ng/ml), insufficient (<30 -> 20ng/ml) and deficient (<= 20ng/ml) levels. Results One patient with vitiligo (2.5%) versus 33 healthy controls (82.5%) have sufficient serum 25(OH)D levels while 39 patients (97.5%) versus 5 controls (12.5%) have deficient 25(OH)D levels with significantly lower serum 25(OH)D levels in patients compared to controls (P-value <0.001). The other 2 healthy controls have insufficient 25(OH)D levels. Patients with vitiligo and autoimmune diseases have lower serum 25(OH)D levels than vitiligo patients without autoimmune diseases but with no significant difference. No significant correlations existed between age of the patients, duration of vitiligo, duration of associated autoimmune diseases, affected body surface area and serum 25(OH)D levels of patients. Conclusion Deficient serum 25(OH)D levels are present in vitiligo patients with and without systemic autoimmune diseases. Accordingly, screening for vitamin D deficiency seems of value in vitiligo patients for the possibility of vitamin D supplementation.