Vitamin D status in Egyptian patients with juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

There are scanty data on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relation to disease activity among patients with juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (JoSLE) in the Middle East and North Africa, an area known to be endemic for vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. The aim of this study was, therefore, to study vitamin D status and its relation to disease activity and parameters in Egyptian patients with JoSLE. Serum levels of 25(OH) D3 in 70 JoSLE patients were compared to 40 age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched healthy controls. The 25(OH) D3 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Information regarding the medical history, clinical symptoms, and signs was registered at the time of serum sampling. Disease activity of SLE was evaluated according to the SLEDAI score. The mean level of serum 25(OH) D3 was 12 +/- A 3.7 in JoSLE patients compared to 21 +/- A 3.5 ng/mL in normal controls (p < 0.001). Forty percent (28/70) of the JoSLE patients has severe 25(OH) D3 deficiency (a parts per thousand currency sign10 ng/mL), and 60 % of the JoSLE patients has 25(OH) D3 insufficiency (a parts per thousand currency sign30 ng/mL). None of the JoSLE patients has 25(OH) D3 level > 30 ng/mL. There was no significant correlation between serum levels of 25(OH) D3 and the demographic data, medication used, and some laboratory data of patients with JoSLE. Disease activity score in our patients was insignificantly correlated with serum levels of 25(OH) D3. In spite of vitamin D supplementation in Egyptian JoSLE patients and the presence of vitamin D insufficiency in the control group, there are still significantly lower levels of vitamin D in JoSLE compared to normal controls.