Vitamin D and autoimmune thyroid diseases. – Jan 2011

Cell Mol Immunol. 2011 Jan 31.
Vitamin D and autoimmune thyroid diseases.
Kivity S, Agmon-Levin N, Zisappl M, Shapira Y, Nagy EV, Dankó K, Szekanecz Z, Langevitz P, Shoenfeld Y.

1] The Zabludovicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, affiliated to Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 2 Department of Medicine 'A & C', Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel 3 Rheumatic Disease Unit, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.

The role of vitamin D as an immune modulator has been emphasized in recent years, and low levels of the hormone were observed in several autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Vitamin D mediates its effect though binding to vitamin D receptor (VDR), and activation of VDR-responsive genes. While VDR gene polymorphism was found to associate with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs), few studies examined levels of vitamin D in these patients and those that did yielded conflicting results. We therefore undertook to evaluate the levels of vitamin D in patients with AITDs compared to patients with non-AITDs and healthy controls. Serum vitamin D (25-OH) levels were measured in 50 patients with AITDs, 42 patients with non-AITDs and 98 healthy subjects, utilizing the LIAISON chemiluminescence immunoassay (DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy). Vitamin D deficiency was designated at levels lower than 10 ng/ml. Antithyroid antibodies, thyroid functions and demographic parameters were evaluated in all patients.

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in patients with AITDs compared with healthy individuals (72% versus 30.6%; P<0.001), as well as in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis compared to patients with non-AITDs (79% versus 52%; P<0.05). Vitamin D deficiency also correlated to the presence of antithyroid antibodies (P=0.01) and abnormal thyroid function tests (P=0.059). Significantly low levels of vitamin D were documented in patients with AITDs that were related to the presence of anti thyroid antibodies and abnormal thyroid function tests, suggesting the involvement of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of AITDs and the advisability of supplementation.Cellular & Molecular Immunology advance online publication, 31 January 2011; doi:10.1038/cmi.2010.73. PMID: 21278761
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Deficiency = 10 ng. 72% for those with autoimmune thyroid disease, 31% of controls

Examples: Graves disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis

See Also Vitamin D Life

• All items in Thyroid and parathyroid 70 items
• 92 percent with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis had less than 30 ng vitamin D – July 2011
• Autoimmune Thyroid Disease 2X more likely if low vitamin D – Dec 2013
• Search Vitamin D Life for“Graves' disease” OR “Hashimoto thyroid*” OR “autoimmune thyroid disease” 35 items as of Dec 2013

See Also at other vitamin D web sites

• Google Site Search - "Graves disease" OR "Hashimoto" 36 items as of Feb 2011