Correlation between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin-D levels and disease activity in chronic urticaria patients at a tertiary referral hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia

Background Great scientific interest has grown around the role of vitamin D in many chronic diseases, due to its reported immunomodulatory effects and its association with several autoimmune and allergic diseases, including chronic urticaria (CU). Previous studies have shown low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] or calcidiol levels in CU patients, with clinical improvements after vitamin D supplementation. However, data on the correlation between levels of vitamin D in the serum and CU disease activity are still limited, especially in low-middle income tropical countries like Indonesia. Objective We proposed to investigate the correlation between serum calcidiol levels and clinical disease activity in patients with CU. Methods We performed an analytic-descriptive cross-sectional study. Disease activity in CU patients, measured using the Urticaria Activity Score 7 (UAS 7) questionnaire, and serum calcidiol levels were assessed in 30 patients aged 18-59 years with CU. Results Mean UAS7 score was 14.6, median duration of illness was 12 months, and the median serum calcidiol level was 12.1 ng/mL. Most subjects (80%) were vitamin D deficient. We found no statistically significant correlations between serum calcidiol and CU disease activity (r=0.151; p=0.425). However, in subjects with severe vitamin D deficiency, a significant negative correlation was found (r=-0.916; p=0.001). Significant moderate correlation was also found between CU disease activity and illness duration (r=0.391; p=0.033). Conclusion We found no correlations between serum calcidiol levels and CU activity, however there was a tendency of increased CU disease activity in vitamin D deficient patients