[Vitamin D level in Hungarian patients with inflammatory bowel diseases]

Vitamin D has an important role in the immune regulation. Vitamin D is essential for innate and adaptive immune systems and it plays a significant role in the formation of immune tolerance, as well.

Vitamin D deficiency has been observed in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases in Western Europe, but there is no data available from Eastern Europe.

The study included 169 patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

The median vitamin D level was 22.7±10.6 ng/ml. Only 20% of the patients had adequate vitamin D level (>30 ng/ml), 52% had vitamin D insufficiency (15-30 ng/ml), and 28% of them had severe vitamin D deficiency (<15 ng/ml). Vitamin D concentration failed to correlate with clinical activity indexes (partial Mayo score: r = -0.143; Crohn's disease activity index: r = -0.253) and with inflammatory parameters (C-reactive protein: r = 0.008; erythrocyte sedimentation rate: r = 0.012).

Since vitamin D deficiency can be frequently observed in Hungarian patients with inflammatory bowel disease, its level should be tested in these patients.