Vitamin D Deficiency may increase activity and functional impairment in Spondyloarthritis

In a study conducted by Maria Rato and team, it was shown that patients with vitamin D deficiency have significantly higher levels of activity and functional impairment in patients with spondyloarthritis than patients with normal vitamin D concentrations.

The findings of this study were presented at American College of Rheumatology Meeting: ACR Convergence 2021.

There is growing evidence that vitamin D has immunomodulatory potential in a variety of rheumatologic disorders. Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA), but research on the role of vitamin D in disease activity and functional impairment is controversial.

The purpose of this study was to see if vitamin D deficiency is linked to increased disease activity and functional impairment in SpA patients. Patients with SpA who met the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society classification criteria were included in the cross-sectional study. All patients in the study were given a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD). Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) were used to assess disease activity, and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) was used to assess functional impairment (BASFI). After 6 months of bDMARD therapy, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were measured in SpA patients. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25(OH)D levels of less than 30ng/mL. The Student's t-test for Gaussian was used to compare vitamin D deficient patients to non-deficient patients.