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. 2022 Aug;39(4):793-799.
doi: 10.5114/ada.2022.118923. Epub 2022 Sep 1.

Vitamin D, cytokine profiles, and disease severity in infants with atopic dermatitis: a single centre, cross-sectional study

Wisnu Barlianto  1 , Desy Wulandari  1 , Tita Luthfia Sari  2 , Vanisia Hayu Firdayanti  2 , Muhammad Irvan Avandi  2
Affiliations

Vitamin D, cytokine profiles, and disease severity in infants with atopic dermatitis: a single centre, cross-sectional study

Wisnu Barlianto et al. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease and generally develops in infancy. Studies evaluating the role of vitamin D in immune mechanims in AD showed varying results.

Aim: To assess the association between serum vitamin D, cytokine profiles, and disease severity in infants with AD.

Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on infants aged 0-12 months with AD in the Paediatric Allergy and Immunology Department, Saiful Anwar Hospital, Indonesia. The disease severity was assessed by the Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Blood was drawn to evaluate the total eosinophil count (TEC), total immunoglobulin E (tIgE), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-17A, and IL-22 levels.

Results: This study enrolled 36 infants including 19 with mild AD and 17 with moderate AD. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were found in 18 (50%) and 9 (25%) subjects, respectively. The mean 25(OH)D level was lower and the mean IL-4, IL-17A, and IL-22 levels were higher in the moderate AD group than in the mild AD group (p < 0.05). A lower level of 25(OH)D was associated with a higher level of IL-17A (r = -0.315, p = 0.041). The SCORAD index was negatively correlated with 25(OH)D (r = -0.714, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with IL-17A (r = 0.522, p = 0.001) and IL-22 (r = 0.612, p < 0.001) but not IL-4 (r = 0.325, p = 0.053).

Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in infants with AD, and a low vitamin D level was correlated with the severity of AD, dependently on IL-17A.

Keywords: SCORAD; atopic dermatitis; cytokines; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison between serum levels of 25(OH)D based on AD severity category
Figure 2
Figure 2
Path analysis model representing the interaction of all variables with the SCORAD index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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