Evaluation of vitamin D and calcium mineral metabolism in patients with chronic urticaria

INTRODUCTION: Chronic urticaria (CU) is a skin disease characterized by the spontaneous occurrence of itchy, swollen welts lasting 6 weeks or more. The aim of this study was to assess the potential influence of vitamin D and calcium mineral metabolism in patients with CU.
METHODS: Patients over the age of 18 who presented at a dermatology outpatient clinic between November 2020 and February 2021 and diagnosed with CU were included in the study. Volunteers with no disease were selected as a control group. The level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D and calcium metabolism parameters (calcium [Ca], phosphorus [P], parathyroid [PTH] hormone) were measured in both groups and compared.
RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 35.01±11.96 years in the urticaria group and 34.89±11.75 years in the control group (p>0.05). The mean serum Ca level was 9.14±0.75 mg/dL in the urticaria group and 9.46±0.43 mg/dL in the control group (p=0.003). The mean serum P level was 3.3±0.71 mg/dL in the urticaria group and 3.3±0.56 mg/ dL in the control group (p=0.76). The mean serum level of PTH was 46.28±16.29 pg/mL in the urticaria group and 41.95±14.09 pg/mL in the control group (p=0.091). The mean serum level of vitamin D in the CU and the control group was as 13.8±5.67 ng/mL and 18.12±8.42 ng/mL, respectively (p<0.001). The 7-day Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) was 19.99±8.61 in the patients with urticaria. There was a negative correlation between the UAS7 score and the vitamin D level (p=0.001). The mean duration of disease was 20±15.22 months. No correlation was seen between disease duration and the vitamin D level (p=0.49).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The study findings indicated that the Ca and vitamin D levels in patients with CU were statistically significantly lower than those of the control group. However, additional studies are needed to further explore the possible contribution of this analysis to the diagnosis and treatment of urticaria.