Vitamin D Deficiency Common In Rheumatic Illnesses

There have been two separate studies done that revealed that vitamin Ddeficiency is a common denominator in patients with a range of rheumatic illnesses.  Over half of the patients had below normal healthy levels of vitamin D.  Further studying showed that by giving vitamin D supplementation in the recommended daily dose to the patients did not normalize their vitamin D levels.

Here are all of the details as explained on ProHealth:

The results of these three studies were presented June 18 at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Rome, Italy.

A UK study of 180 patients aimed to assess mean levels of vitamin D in patients with:

• Inflammatory joint diseases,

• Osteoarthritis, and

• Myalgia (muscle pain that, when experienced long term, may be associated with nutritional deficiency).

Data on vitamin D levels were gathered and results showed that 58% of individuals with a rheumatic condition had levels below that clinically considered to be ‘sufficient’ in healthy subjects (48-145 nmol/L).

An Italian study of 1,191 RA patients aimed to determine a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and several different clinical measures of disease activity. Researchers found that, regardless of supplementation, levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) – a standard clinical measure of vitamin D in the blood – were lower than healthy levels (less than 50 nmol/L) in 85% of the patients not taking a vitamin D supplement and in 60% of those taking 800 IU or more vitamin D daily as a supplement.

In non-supplemented patients, levels of 25(OH)D significantly correlated with three measures of disease activity:

• The Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, (p=0.000)

• The Mobility Activities of Daily Living Score (p=0.000) and

• The Number of Swollen Joints count (p=0.000).

“We have seen in studies that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with a range of rheumatic diseases, and our results have confirmed this using several clinically accepted measures of disease activity,” said Dr. L. Idolazzi, of the Rheumatology Unit, University of Verona, Italy. “What we need to see now is a range of long term studies, which examine the clinical response of patients to vitamin D supplementation.”

Furthermore, a third study undertaken in Italy aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation in patients with inflammatory autoimmune disease (IAD) and non-inflammatory autoimmune disease (NIAD).

Following supplementation, only 29% patients reached vitamin D levels greater than the level clinically considered to be ‘sufficient’ in healthy subjects, with no significant differences in vitamin D levels observed between the inflammatory autoimmune disease and non-inflammatory autoimmune disease groups.

“Whilst it is well known that hypovitaminosis D is often seen in patients with inflammatory autoimmune diseases, the effects of supplementation have not been fully investigated in this setting,” said Dr. Pier Paolo Sainaghi of the Immuno-Rheumatology Clinic, A. Avogadro University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy and author of the third study.

“The results of our study show that daily 800-1,000 IU supplementation is not sufficient to normalize vitamin D levels in patients with rheumatologic or bone conditions,” he stated. “What is unclear is whether a higher dose would be more effective.”

Study Designs and Key Statistics

The UK study involved patients with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoporosis, or unexplained muscle pain, (total n=90, 30 from each group). These patients were matched with a control group of patients presenting with chronic back pain for a minimum of 6 months (n=90). The RA patient group registered median levels of vitamin D of 36 nmol/L (range 16-85 nmol/L, p=0.045) and in osteoporosis patients, these levels were slightly lower with a median value of 31 nmol/L (range 7-82 nmol/L, p=0.005). Patients with unexplained muscle pain had equally low median levels of vitamin D at 31 nmol/l (range 11-79 nmol/L, p= 0.008).

In the first Italian study of 1,191 patients (85% women) from 22 rheumatology centers, researchers measured levels of 25(OH)D, alongside parameters of disease activity, calcium intake, sun exposure and bone mineral density.

The association found by researchers between disease activity scores and vitamin D levels remained statistically significant when adjusted for both sun exposure and body mass index (BMI), both known risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.

Significantly lower 25(OH)D levels were found:

• In patients with active disease compared with those in disease remission (mean level 21.8 nmol/L 25(OH)D vs. 23.6 nmol/L respectively, p=0.057),

• And in those who were not responding to treatment compared to patients with a good response to treatment (20.5 nmol/L vs. 23.4 nmol/L p=0.020).

In the second Italian study, 100 patients (43 with IAD and 57 with NIAD) received daily supplementation of 800-1000 IU of cholecalciferol (a form of vitamin D often used to fortify foods) over the course of six months.

Source

Strong Association with Vitamin D Level & Lymphoma Progression & Survival

“The findings support the growing association between vitamin D and cancer risk and outcomes, and suggest that vitamin D supplements might help even those patients already diagnosed with some forms of cancer.” – Matthew Drake, MD, PhD

The quote above I found on an article related to vitamin D deficiency and its relationship to cancer and cancer progression from ProHealth.   More & more information is continually being revealed on how dangerous vitamin D deficiency is.  According to this recent ProHealth article:

A new study has found that the amount of vitamin D in patients being treated for diffuse large B-cell (non-Hodgkins) lymphoma was strongly associated with cancer progression and overall survival.

“These are some of the strongest findings yet between vitamin D and cancer outcome,” says the study’s lead investigator, Matthew Drake, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. “While these findings are very provocative, they are preliminary and need to be validated in other studies. However, they raise the issue of whether vitamin D supplementation might aid in treatment for this malignancy, and thus should stimulate much more research.”

If you would like to view a You Tube video summary of this video, please click here to watch Mayo Clinic Study Finds Vitamin D Associated with Survival in Lymphoma Patients.  The study was conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic & the University of Iowa, who participate in SPORE – University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Specialized Program of Research Excellence – that is funded by the National Cancer Institute. 

Out of the 374 study participants who were newly diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, 50% were deficient in vitamin D levels based on the commonly used clinical value of total serum 25(OH)D less than 25 ng/mL.  This study was not a clinical trial, but an epidemiologic study designed to identify predictors of outcomes in lymphoma.  Because this was not a clinical trial, patient management and treatments were not assigned.   The standard care for clinical practice was followed in this study. 

Patients with deficient vitamin D levels had a 1.5-fold greater risk of disease progression and a twofold greater risk of dying, compared to patients with optimal vitamin D levels after accounting for other patient factors associated with worse outcomes.

The findings of this study support the growing association between vitamin D levels, risk of cancer and outcomes.  The findings also suggest that vitamin D supplements might even possibly help the patients currently diagnosed with some forms of cancer, according to Dr. Drake.  He also said that:

“The exact roles that vitamin D might play in the initiation or progression of cancer is unknown, but we do know that the vitamin plays a role in regulation of cell growth and death, among other processes important in limiting cancer.”

There have also been studies done that suggest vitamin D deficiency may play a role in causing certain types of cancer and the outcome may also be affected once someone is diagnosed with cancer.  Reports have also discovered that vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor outcomes in these cancers:  breast, colon, head & neck.

Source

Possible Link with Vitamin D Deficiency & Asthma Severity

A a study published in the May 1st issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine  has revealed some new information on a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and allergy & asthma severity.  In this study the serum levels of approximately 600 Costa Rican children were linked to several indicators of allergy and asthma severity, including hospitalizations for asthma, use of inhaled steroids and total IgE levels.  Costa Rica is known to have a high prevalence of asthma.

Harvard Medical School & colleagues assessed each child participant for allergic markers (allergen-specific and general sensitivity tests), assessed their lung function & circulating vitamin D levels.

Researchers found that the children who had the lower vitamin D levels were significantly more likely to have been in the hospital for asthma the previous year.  These same children also ”tended to have airways with increased hyperreactivity and were likely to have used more inhaled corticosteroids, all signifying higher asthma severity. These children were also significantly more likely to have several markers of allergy, including dust-mite sensitivity.”  Juan Celedon, MD, DrPH and Augusto Litonjua, MD, MPH, of Harvard Medical School said:

“To our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate an inverse association between circulating levels of vitamin D and markers of asthma severity and allergy.  While it is difficult to establish causation in a cross-sectional study such as this, the results were robust even after controlling for markers of baseline asthma severity.  This study suggests that there may be added health benefits to vitamin D supplementation” said Dr. Celedón. Current recommendations for optimal vitamin D levels are geared toward preserving bone health, such as preventing rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.”

“This study also provides epidemiological support for a growing body of in vitro evidence that vitamin D insufficiency may worsen asthma severity, and we suspect that giving vitamin D supplements to asthma patients who are deficient may help with their asthma control.  Whether vitamin D supplementation can prevent the development of asthma in very young children is a separate question, which will be answered by clinical trials that are getting under way.”

Source

Risk of MS Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency Plus Common Genetic Variant

Researchers have discovered that in people with the DRB1 variant associated with MS, Vitamin D may play a very critical role. If there is a deficiency of Vitamin D, this gene may not function properly.

The research, published Feb 6 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, suggests that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and the early years may increase the risk of the offspring developing MS later in life.

While the causes of multiple sclerosis are unknown, it is believed that genetics and environmental factors play a key role in the development of MS.  MS is a disabling neurologic condition that affects more than 2.5 million people around the world.

Studies have shown that the risk of MS is higher in areas that receive less sunshine.  According to ProHealth:

This supports a direct link between deficiency in vitamin D, which is produced in the body through the action of sunlight, and increased risk of developing the disease.

To read more on this topic, click the link below.

Vitamin D deficiency plus common genetic variant linked to MS risk

Vitamin D Testing Kits Available Online

The Vitamin D Council is offering for sale online your choice of two Vitamin D testing kits.  The first kit, which costs $65.00,will detect whether or not you are Vitamin D deficient and monitor supplemented levels.  This kit contains one test.

The second choice you can purchase is a set of four kits, which costs $225.00, can be purchased if you would like to test yourself and your family or just use the remaining kits to retest yourself after supplementation.

To order these tests, visit the ZRT Laboratory.

The Vitamin D Council recommends that Vitamin D levels should be between 50 ng/ml and 80 ng/ml year round.  The Vitamin D Council states that these levels are “natural” levels meaning levels that are normally obtained by people who are working in the sun.

I have published a very popular article on this website, The Dangers of Vitamin D Deficiency, that has become very popular and has received over 1,100 comments.  It talks about all of the illnesses and conditions that can be caused by Vitamin D deficiency and why it should not be taken lightly.

Vitamin D deficiency can cause heart disease, chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, hypertension, arthritis, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, PMS, Crohns Disease, cancer, MS and other autoimmune diseases. The Vitamin D Council states that Vitamin D deficiency can also cause stroke, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting and birth defects.

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Mood Disorders In Women

Research keeps showing that vitamin D deficiency is causing a lot of health problems and now there is more reason for women to worry.  The September-October issue of the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health revealed the following information on vitamin D deficiency and mood disorders in women:

Four of six studies reviewed imparted significant results, with all four showing an association between low 25(OH)D levels and higher incidences of four mood disorders.

These mood disorders are:

• PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
• SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
• Non-specific mood disorder
• Major depressive disorder

The review of the studies show that there may be a possible biochemical mechanism occurring between mood disorders that affect women and vitamin D.  Further studies will be needed to research this issue more.

Low Vitamin D Associated with Increased Risk of Death

A report in the July 11th issue of Archives of Internal Medicine states that people with low levels of vitamin D appear to have a higher risk of death from all causes.

According to background information in the article, several studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer and death. The optimum level for Vitamin D is supposed to be 30 nanograms per milliliter or higher. The report states that approximately 53% of women and 41% of men have levels lower than 28 nanograms per milliter.

Michal L. Melamed, MD, MHS, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, and colleagues analyzed vitamin D levels in 13,331 individuals who participated in the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vitamin D levels were collected between 1988 and 1994, and participants were tracked through 2000.

Over a median (midpoint) of 8.7 years of follow-up, 1,806 of the participants died. When they were divided into four groups (quartiles) based on their vitamin D levels, those in the group with the lowest level (less than 17.8 nanograms per milliliter) had a 26 percent increased rate of death from any cause compared with those in the group with the highest vitamin D levels. No significant associations were found when the researchers assessed vitamin D levels and risk of death from cardiovascular disease or cancer alone. Low vitamin D levels may be associated with death through their effect on blood pressure, the body’s ability to respond to insulin, obesity and diabetes risk, the authors note.

Other evidence that supports the risk of vitamin D deficiency’s role in death risk includes:

• Cardiovascular events are more common in the winter when vitamin D levels are at their lowest.
• Cancer survival is better if the cancer is diagnosed in the summer rather than in the winter.

The authors conclude that those with less than 17.8 nanograms per milliliter) is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in the general U.S. population.

Source

Other Fighting Fatigue articles on Vitamin D Deficiency:

Vitamin D Deficiency:� A Disease of Neglect

Low Vitamin D May Be Harmful to Bones of Those with IBD

Vitamin D & Vitamin D Deficiency Links

Vitamin D Deficiency Tied to Back Pain In Older Women

The Dangers of Vitamin D Deficiency

Thanks to How to Cope with Pain for including this post as part of their monthly blog carnival.

Next Page »