Correlation Between Serum Vitamin D Level and the Severity of Atopic Dermatitis Associated With Food Sensitization

Purpose: A growing body of literature has linked vitamin D deficiency with allergic diseases, particularly atopic dermatitis (AD). In this study, we investigated the association between serum vitamin D status and the clinical manifestation of AD. We also developed an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of 25-hydroxy vitamin D-3 (25(OH)D-3), using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Methods: This study included 157 patients (79 males and 78 females) with AD, aged 4 months to 56 years. We evaluated disease severity using the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Serum levels of 25(OH)D-3 were determined by LC coupled with MS/MS. Total IgE and specific IgE levels were assayed using the immunoCAP system. ANOVA was used for statistical evaluation. Results: We found mild, moderate, and severe AD in 30 (11.1%), 87(55.4%), and 40(25.5%) patients, respectively. There was no significant correlation between serum levels of 25(OH)D-3 and AD severity. However, among the 36 patients with food sensitization, the mean +/- SD serum levels of 25(OH)D3 were significantly higher (P<0.05) in patients with mild disease (21.2 +/- 5.18 ng/mL) compared with the levels in patients with moderate (17.9 +/- 4.02 ng/mL) or severe AD (13.3 +/- 5.11 ng/mL) disease. Conclusions: These results suggest that vitamin D deficiency is related to the severity of AD associated with food sensitization. Thus, these data suggest a role for vitamin D in a select group of AD patients.