Atopic dermatitis patients with low vitamin D highly sensitive to house dust mites

The relationship between atopic dermatitis (AD) and low vitamin D levels has been studied and the findings, which are described as "significant," but preliminary appear in the August print issue of the Annals of Dermatology. Emerging evidence has implicated vitamin D as a critical regulator of immunity, playing a role in both the innate and cell-mediated immune systems. Patients with severe atopic dermatitis who have lower serum vitamin D levels have a high sensitivity to house dust mites which can aggravate their condition, a new study shows.However, the effect of vitamin D on house dust mite (HDM) sensitization in patients with AD has not been established.

The investigators studied 80 patients in total with only 43 men and 37 women of which 43.8% had mild to moderate disease and 56% had severe atopic dermatitis, which was determined by Rajka and Langeland scores. Laboratory tests included serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, total immunoglobulin E (IgE), and specific IgE antibody titer against Dermatophagoides farinae and D pteronyssinus.

It was found that there were no differences in vitamin D levels between the mild or moderate AD and severe AD groups. In the severe AD group, high HDM sensitization group had lower serum vitamin D levels compared to low HDM sensitization group with statistical significance. In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between vitamin D levels and HDM sensitization in the severe AD group. The mean serum vitamin D level of patients in the study was 19.29±8.03 ng/ml. There was no significant difference between serum vitamin D levels between patients with severe AD (19.46±8.10 ng/ml) and mild to moderate AD (18.98±7.97 ng/ml, p=0.72). But for patients with severe atopic dermatitis, the mean total serum IgE level (2,011.96± 993.89 kU/L) was significantly higher than that in patients with mild to moderate AD (260.88±431.54 kU/L, p＜0.05).

Patients with severe atopic dermatitis who had significantly lower serum vitamin D levels were also found to have high D. farina sensitization (p＜0.05). The same was true of D. pteronyssinus in which patients with severe disease, the presence of high D. pteronyssinus sensitization usually equated with lower serum vitamin D levels with statistical significance (p＜0.05). No such association was found in mild to moderate disease.

It was therefore concluded that low vitamin D levels may link to high HDM sensitization in patients with the severe Atopic Dermatitis. Further elucidation of the role of vitamin D in HDM sensitization may hold profound implications for the prevention and treatment of AD. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that low vitamin D levels may be relevant to high HDM sensitization in severe AD patients. Further investigation regarding the effect of vitamin D in HDM sensitization can give new strategies for the prevention and treatment of AD. We also need the refinement and modification of large-scale studies to determine the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and HDM sensitization in AD.

For more details click on the link : Yong Hyun Jang, Hyun Bo Sim, Sun Young Moon, Weon Ju Lee, Seok-Jong Lee, Meiling Jin1, Sang-Hyun Kim1, Do Won Kim. "House Dust Mite Sensitization Is Inversely Associated with Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Levels in Patients with Severe Atopic Dermatitis," Annals of Dermatology. August 2017. https://doi.org/10.5021/ad.2017.29.4.400