According to a report published online July 11, 2011 in Arthritis Care & Research, Canadian and Israeli researchers studied the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in psoriatic arthritis patients. Study participants were evaluated from March to August 2009. Of the group of participants, 258 were evaluated during the winter and 214 during the summer to evaluate seasonal variation. There were two study locations to assess geographical difference -- to the north Toronto, Canada and to the south Haifa, Israel.
Vitamin D levels in the blood, referred to as 25(OH)D, were compared. At the northern site, vitamin D levels revealed 56% of psoriatic arthritis patients had insufficent levels in the winter and 59% in the summer. At the southern location, 51% of psoriatic arthritis patients had insufficient vitamin D levels in the winter and 62% in the summer. Researchers concluded that people with psoriatic arthritis have a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency but seasonal or geographical variation was not significant in those patients. Also, vitamin D levels did not appear to affect disease activity in the psoriatic arthritis patients.
Related Resources:
- Psoriatic Arthritis - Fast Facts
- Psoriatic Arthritis Screening Quiz
- Psoriatic Arthritis Treatment Guidelines
- Vitamin D Supplements May Offer Arthritis Pain Relief
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