Vitamin D Deficiency in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Association with Clinical Manifestations and Immune Activation Markers

Panagiotis Athanassiou; Clio Mavragani; Lambros Athanassiou; Ifigenia Kostoglou-Athanassiou; Michael Koutsilieris

Mediterr J Rheumatol 2022;33(1):106-8

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Vitamin D Deficiency in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Association with Clinical Manifestations and Immune Activation Markers

Panagiotis Athanassiou¹, Clio Mavragani², Lambros Athanassiou^2,3, Ifigenia Kostoglou-Athanassiou⁴, Michael Koutsilieris⁵

Authors Information

¹Department of Rheumatology, St. Paul’s Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

²Molecular Physiology-Clinical Application Unit, Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

³Department of Rheumatology, Asclepeion Hospital, Voula, Athens, Greece

⁴Department of Endocrinology, Asclepeion Hospital, Voula, Athens, Greece

⁵Department of Physiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Abstract

Vitamin D is an agent involved in bone and mineral homeostasis. It has been recognized as a potent immunomodulator. It has immune-enhancing properties, and it induces immune tolerance. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be related to the development of autoimmune disorders. Vitamin D deficiency has been observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and it has been shown to be related with disease activity. Vitamin D deficiency has also been found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and it was shown to be related to disease activity and renal involvement. Vitamin D deficiency has also been observed in multiple sclerosis. Vitamin D has been found to act as a supplemental therapeutic agent in multiple sclerosis. Sjögren’s syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease affecting the exocrine glands, known as an autoimmune epithelitis. The disease has a complex pathogenesis, requiring a genetic background, immune cell activation, and autoantibody production. The disease affects the exocrine glands, lacrimal, and salivary glands leading to ocular and oral dryness. Vitamin D levels have been measured in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome and an association was observed between low vitamin D levels, peripheral neuropathy and the presence of lymphoma. In other cohorts, such as a Turkish cohort, vitamin D deficiency was observed in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome. The aim is to measure serum vitamin D levels in consecutive patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome and investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and the presence of immunologic markers, clinical, serological, and histopathological characteristics.

Cite this article as: Athanassiou P, Mavragani C, Athanassiou L, Kostoglou-Athanassiou I, Koutsilieris M. Vitamin D Deficiency in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Association with Clinical Manifestations and Immune Activation Markers. Mediterr J Rheumatol 2022;33(1):106-8.

Article Submitted: 21 Mar 2022; Article Accepted: 28 Mar 2022; Available Online: 31 Mar 2022

https://doi.org/10.31138/mjr.33.1.106

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords: vitamin D, Sjögren’s syndrome, immunologic markers, histopathological characteristics

Volume 35, Issue 1, March 2024