Assessment of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d levels in children with atopic dermatitis: correlation with SCORAD index.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder with an immunologic basis. It may have negative medical and social impacts on a patient and his family. OBJECTIVES: To assess serum level of vitamin D among children with AD and determine its association with AD severity using the AD Scoring System Index. STUDY DESIGN: A case-control study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with AD in the age group between 2 and 12 years were enrolled in the study. The severity of the disease was determined by the AD scoring system. Thirty controls were recruited. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] were tested using commercial automated chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. RESULTS: The mean value of vitamin D in children with AD was much lower than normal value, and there was a significant difference in the mean values of vitamin D between children with AD (5.4±1.9 ng/mL) and the controls (28.9±2.4 ng/mL). Serum 25(OH)D levels were found to be significantly higher in mild AD (14.6±3.5 ng/mL) compared with moderate (5.5±3.1 ng/mL) or severe AD (0.3±0.1 ng/mL); P<0.001. CONCLUSION: Patients with AD have lower serum vitamin D levels than normal. Vitamin D deficiency might be related to the severity of AD.