The Effect of Vitamin D on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus' Disease Activity: An Evidence-Based Case Report

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is commonly found in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Studies have found that vitamin D has immunomodulatory properties and its low level is associated to higher disease activity. However, whether vitamin D supplementation can reduce disease activity remains unclear. Hence, further investigation is necessary to see whether vitamin D administration can reduce disease activity in SLE patients. Methods: All studies were collected from Pubmed and Embase. After screening the titles and abstracts according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two out of four studies were selected. These studies were critically appraised using standard criteria for therapeutic research. Results: Vitamin D could increase T-regs, inhibit T-cell proliferation, and decrease memory B cells and anti-dsDNA autoantibody levels. Two randomized-controlled- trials reported significantly reduced SLE disease activity upon oral cholecalciferol supplementation as measured using SLEDAI score. Conclusion: Vitamin D administration significantly reduce disease activity in SLE patients, especially those with mild to moderate level of severity.