Weekly vitamin D supplementation improves VD status but fails to modify severity of atopic dermatitis in kids: Study

Chile: A recent randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology has shed light on the effect of weekly vitamin D supplementation on the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) and type 2 immunity biomarkers in children.

The researchers found that weekly vitamin D (VD) supplementation improved VD status but did not modify atopic dermatitis severity or type 2 immunity biomarkers compared to placebo among children with AD.

Vitamin D deficiency is frequent among patients with AD and is often associated with severity. However, randomized trials of VD supplementation in AD yielded equivocal results, and there is a lack of information regarding the impact of VD supplementation on type 2 immunity in AD patients.

To fill this knowledge gap, Arturo Borzutzky, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile, and colleagues aimed to investigate the efficacy of VD supplementation to decrease the severity of AD and to alter type 2 immunity biomarkers.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that included 101 children with atopic dermatitis. They were randomly assigned to weekly oral vitamin D3 (VD3) or placebo for 6 weeks. The primary outcomes

performed in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. We randomly assigned 101 children with AD to weekly oral vitamin D3 (VD3) or placebo for 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the Severity Scoring of AD (SCORAD) change.

The study led to the following findings:

• The mean age of subjects was 6.3 ± 4.0 years, and baseline SCORAD was 32 ± 29. At baseline, 57% of children were VD deficient, with no difference between groups.
• Change in 25(OH)D was significantly greater with VD3 than placebo (+43.4 ± 34.5 nmol/L vs. +2.3 ± 21.2 nmol/L).
• SCORAD change at 6 weeks was not different between VD and placebo (−5.3 ± 11.6 vs. −5.5 ± 9.9).
• There were no significant between-group differences in change of eosinophil counts, total IgE, Staphylococcal enterotoxin specific IgE, CCL17, CCL22, CCL27, LL-37 or Staphylococcus aureus lesional skin colonization.
• Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms FokI, ApaI, and TaqI did not modify subjects' response to VD supplementation.

In conclusion, weekly vitamin D supplementation improved VD status among children with atopic dermatitis but did not modify AD severity or type 2 immunity biomarkers compared to placebo.

Reference:

Borzutzky, A., Iturriaga, C., Pérez-Mateluna, G., Cristi, F., Cifuentes, L., Silva-Valenzuela, S., Vera-Kellet, C., Cabalín, C., Hoyos-Bachiloglu, R., Navarrete-Dechent, C., Cossio, M. L., Roy, C. L., & Camargo, C. A. Effect of weekly vitamin D supplementation on the severity of atopic dermatitis and type 2 immunity biomarkers in children: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.19959