Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients With Vitiligo: A Cross-Sectional Study From Basrah, Iraq

Background and objective Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) plays a physiological role in melanogenesis in human skin. Vitamin D3 deficiency has become a common complication encountered in daily clinical practice. Recently, there has been growing interest in the role of vitamin D3 in the pathogenesis of vitiligo and its relevance in the treatment of the same. We have also noticed an increase in the rate of vitiligo with an associated aggressive extension of the lesions. In light of this, we conducted this study to analyze the incidence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with vitiligo and explore the effect of this deficiency on disease extension and severity. Materials and methods This was a cross-sectional study involving 46 patients with vitiligo. The affected body surface area of the patients was assessed using the Vitiligo Extent Tensity Index (VETI) score. Results Most of the vitiligo patients had very low levels of vitamin D (p<0.05), and a majority of the vitiligo patients with low vitamin D levels were females; however, this difference between females and males was not statistically significant (p=0.642). There was no significant effect of vitamin D levels on VETI scores (p=0.184). Conclusion Based on our findings, patients with vitiligo have a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency, and this deficiency is more common among females than males.