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Effect of vitamin D deficiency and replacement on endothelial functions in Behçet's disease

M Can1, M Gunes, O A Haliloglu

  • 1Department of Rheumatology, Marmara University, Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. meryemkrk@gmail.com

Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology
|October 2, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Behçet

Area of Science:

  • Vascular Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Rheumatology

Background:

  • Endothelial dysfunction is a known complication in Behçet's disease (BD).
  • Vitamin D plays a role in endothelial function.
  • Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in various autoimmune conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate serum 25(OH)Vit D3 levels in BD patients.
  • To assess the association between vitamin D levels, disease activity, and endothelial function.
  • To evaluate the impact of vitamin D replacement on endothelial function and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in BD.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study comparing 36 BD patients, 33 rheumatoid arthritis patients, and 51 healthy controls.
  • Assessment of endothelial function via brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and CIMT using B-mode ultrasound.
  • Vitamin D-deficient BD patients received 1000 IU of Vitamin D3 daily for 3 months.

Main Results:

  • A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)Vit D3 < 50 nmol/L) was observed in 61.1% of BD patients compared to 35.3% of healthy controls (p=0.01).
  • BD patients exhibited significantly impaired FMD (p=0.02) and increased CIMT (p=0.001) compared to controls.
  • No significant baseline correlation was found between 25(OH)Vit D3 levels and FMD or CIMT.
  • Vitamin D replacement therapy led to significant improvement in CIMT (p=0.02) and a non-significant trend towards improved FMD (p=0.06).

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in Turkish BD patients.
  • Vitamin D supplementation demonstrates a beneficial effect on endothelial function in BD patients.
  • Further research is warranted to explore vitamin D's therapeutic role in managing BD-associated endothelial dysfunction.
Abstract

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