The Clinical Significance of 25OH-Vitamin D Status in Celiac Disease

Aaron Lerner, Yinon Shapira, Nancy Agmon-Levin, Avi Pacht, Dana Ben-Ami Shor, Hoyos Marcus López, Maria Sanchez-Castanon, Yehuda Shoenfeld

Reduced bone mineral density is frequently found especially in adult celiac disease (CD) and dietary guidelines favor vitamin D supplementation in adults and children with CD. Vitamin D serum levels were investigated in CD populations in order to challenge its routine supplementation. Israeli (61), Spanish (59), CD children (groups 1 and 5, respectively) were compared to children with nonspecific abdominal pain (56), their parents (84) and Spanish adult CD patients (22) (group 2, 3, 4, respectively). 25(OH)-vitamin D was checked by LIAISON chemiluminescent immunoassays. Groups 5 and 1 had the highest levels compared to groups 4 and 3 with the lowest levels. The levels in groups 1 and 2 were comparable. Concerning 25(OH)-vitamin D sera levels, only the difference between group 5 and 4 was statistically significant (30.3 ± 12.3 and 20.2 ± 10.5 ng/ml, respectively p=0.003). When vitamin D was splitted above and below 20 ng/ml level, 54.5% of Spanish adult CD had vitamin D deficiency compared to 16.9% of the local CD children (p=0.001). 29.6% of group 2 had deficient levels compared to their parents with 50% (p=0.019). In conclusion, Vitamin D sera levels negatively correlate with age. Thus, mainly adult CD population should be assessed for vitamin D levels and supplemented accordingly.