Is There a Relation between Vitamin D and Interleukin-17 in Vitiligo? A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: High interleukin (IL)-17 contributes to vitiligo pathogenesis. Vitamin D has been assessed in vitiligo, with no reports targeting its relation to IL-17. Objective: To evaluate a possible regulatory effect of vitamin D on IL-17 and their relation to disease activity in vitiligo. Methods: This study included 30 vitiligo patients and 40 controls evaluated for IL-17 and vitamin D serum levels by ELISA technique. Results: IL-17 was significantly higher (p = 0.001) whereas vitamin D was found to be lower among the patients (p < 0.001). Multivariable regression was performed to evaluate the relationship between IL-17 and vitamin D levels with the demographic data on the patients, revealing a nonsignificant relationship (p > 0.05). A significant positive correlation was noted between vitamin D levels and disease duration. Conclusion: Vitamin D represents a potential player in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Its possible regulatory relation to IL-17, together with its weight as a screening tool in vitiligo, needs further evaluation. (C) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel