Published on the Oct. 27, 2015 Rheumatology Network website
By Whitney L.J. Howell
Severe Vitamin D deficiency could be responsible for persistent rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity, according to a new study.
The study, conducted with 149 patients with active RA, observed the impact of Vitamin D supplementation on illness duration, pain severity, tender joint counts (TJC), swollen joint counts (SJC), serum Vitamin D levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP).
The mean participant age at recruitment was 49, with 94% being female and 6% being male. The average duration of illness was 78 months, and average length of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) treatment was 44 months. Participants also had other co-morbid conditions, including diabetes, hypothyroidism, asthma, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Patients were divided into four groups:
(1) high disease activity with low Vitamin D
(2) high disease activity with normal Vitamin D
(3) low disease activity with low Vitamin D
(4) low disease activity with normal Vitamin D
To see the remainder of the article at its original location: http://www.rheumatologynetwork.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/vitamin-d-effect-rheumatoid-arthritis
