BOSTON – Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in rheumatoid arthritis patients and may influence patient disability, which makes a periodic assessment of vitamin D status a crucial part of their management, according to Dr. Uzma J. Haque of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Of 62 rheumatoid arthritis patients followed at the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, Baltimore, from December 2003 through November 2006, those patients with vitamin D deficiency (defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level below 30 ng/mL) were significantly more likely to report major difficulties in performing activities of daily living than were patients with normal levels of vitamin D, Dr. Haque reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Vitamin D deficiency was not, however, significantly associated with markers of rheumatoid arthritis, she said.
The mean age of the predominantly white, female (82%) study population was 57.6 years, and the mean disease duration was 11.6 years.
In addition to the serum concentration of 25(OH)D, the analysis included joint count, disease activity score, health assessment questionnaire (HAQ), and pain scores, Dr. Haque noted.
The investigators identified vitamin D deficiency in 37 of the 62 patients and observed that 25(OH)D levels fluctuated, ebbing lowest between April and June and highest between July and September, according to Dr. Haque.
Vitamin D deficiency was not significantly associated with any demographic or rheumatoid arthritis characteristics, nor were there any significant associations between vitamin D levels and disease activity score, joint counts, morning stiffness, or rheumatologist global assessments, she said.
“In contrast, [vitamin D] levels were significantly and inversely associated with HAQ, even after controlling for disease duration,” Dr. Haque reported.
Dr. Haque reported no conflicts of interest relative to her presentation.