Plasma vitamin D concentrations in patients with Behcet's disease

Behcet's Disease (BD) is an autoimmune, recurrent and multisystem disease. Vitamin D has immunomodulator role in immune system. So that vitamin D deficiency was reported in some autoimmune diseases. Turkey has highest prevalence of Behcet's disease in the World. The aim of this study was to detect the plasma level of vitamin D in patients with Behcet's disease and healthy control group. Thirty patients with BD who attended to Dicle University Hospitals Dermatology and Physical Therapy polyclinics and thirty healthy controls were enrolled into this study. Laboratory investigations including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, serum alkaline phosphatase and plasma vitamin D were performed for all participants in Dicle University Hospitals Central Laboratory. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured as a vitamin D status. Plasma 25(OH)D levels were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding demographic data. The plasma 25(OH)D concentrations of patients and controls were 14,2 ± 8,8 and 20,8 ± 13,1 g/L respectively. 25(OH)D values in patients with Behcet's Disease were significantly lower than those of the healthy controls (p=0,027). There was no correlation between 25(OH)D levels and any demographic, clinical and laboratuary data. There were no significant differences regarding plasma 25(OH)D levels between male and female partipicants in both groups. Plasma vitamin D concentrations in patients; serious deficiency rate was 43% (<10 g/L), insufficiency / deficiency (10-30 g/L) rate was 47% and sufficiency rate was 10% (> 30 g/L), in the control group rates were 20%, 63% and 17% respectively. In conclusion, plasma vitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients with BD compared to controls. Key Words: Behcet's disease, vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, etiopathogenesis, HPLC