Relationship between Vitamin D levels and pain and disease activity in patients with newly diagnosed axial spondyloarthritis.
Sisi Deng, Yi He, Xinying Nian and 2 others
PMID 32099860WHAT IT FOUND
Vitamin D levels were not linked to pain in newly diagnosed axial spondyloarthritis patients.
Higher vitamin D levels went with higher ESR, CRP and spine function scores, but this disappeared when female patients were excluded.
Key findings
01In 131 newly diagnosed axial spondyloarthritis patients, serum vitamin D levels were not significantly associated with pain status.
02Vitamin D insufficiency was present in 46 of 131 patients (35.1%), and female patients had higher risk of insufficiency than male patients (OR 4.928; 95% CI 1.921-12.642).
03In the whole patient group, serum vitamin D levels were positively correlated with ESR, CRP, BASFI and BASMI.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that vitamin D caused or resulted from pain or disease activity. Some vitamin D and disease activity findings changed after female patients were excluded, so gender appears to have influenced the results. The study did not measure time spent outdoors, dietary vitamin D intake or sunscreen use. Education level and working status were not included for the healthy controls. It was done at one hospital in Guangzhou, China, so results may not apply elsewhere.
Declared interests
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that vitamin D supplements will reduce pain or disease activity in newly diagnosed axial spondyloarthritis. This was a cross-sectional study, vitamin D levels were not associated with pain, and the disease activity correlations disappeared after female patients were excluded.