Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb 10;17(2):e78830.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.78830. eCollection 2025 Feb.

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Fatigue and Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Oana Raluca Predescu  1 , Florentin Ananu Vreju  2 , Anca Emanuela Musetescu  2 , Alesandra Florescu  2 , Stefan Cristian Dinescu  2 , Cristina Elena Bita  2 , Andreea Lili Barbulescu  3 , Paulina Lucia Ciurea  2
Affiliations

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Fatigue and Disease Activity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Oana Raluca Predescu et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and various clinical symptoms, with vitamin D deficiency suggested as a contributing factor. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on fatigue and disease activity in SLE patients.

Methods: Patients diagnosed based on EULAR/ACR 2019 criteria were divided into three groups: no supplementation, 4000 IU, and 8000 IU of vitamin D daily for six months. Clinical assessments included serum complement levels (C3 and C4), fatigue scores (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)), and disease activity (Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI)).

Results: Results showed significant increases in vitamin D levels and serum complement levels in the supplementation groups. Serum complement levels and fatigue scores improved significantly in both the 4000 IU and 8000 IU groups. Additionally, there was a slight reduction in SELENA-SLEDAI scores in the treated groups, but without statistical significance.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation positively affects fatigue and some parameters of disease activity in SLE patients, though its overall impact on disease activity needs further investigation.

Keywords: disease activity; fatigue; supplementation; systemic lupus erythematosus; vitamin d.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania issued approval 205/20.09.2023. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. FACIT-Fatigue, FSS, and SELENA-SLEDAI comparison at baseline and at six months in the untreated group
SELENA-SLEDAI: Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; FACIT-Fatigue: Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue; FSS: Fatigue Severity Scale
Figure 2
Figure 2. FACIT-Fatigue, FSS, and SELENA-SLEDAI comparison at baseline and at six months in the 4000 IU group
SELENA-SLEDAI: Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; FACIT-Fatigue: Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue; FSS: Fatigue Severity Scale
Figure 3
Figure 3. FACIT-Fatigue, FSS, and SELENA-SLEDAI comparison at baseline and at six months in the 8000 IU group
SELENA-SLEDAI: Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index; FACIT-Fatigue: Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue; FSS: Fatigue Severity Scale
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Systemic lupus erythematosus. Kiriakidou M, Ching CL. Ann Intern Med. 2020;172:0–96. - PubMed
    1. Systemic lupus erythematosus: is it one disease? Rivas-Larrauri F, Yamazaki-Nakashimada MA. Reumatol Clin. 2016;12:274–281. - PubMed
    1. One year in review 2022: systemic lupus erythematosus. Zucchi D, Elefante E, Schilirò D, Signorini V, Trentin F, Bortoluzzi A, Tani C. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2022;40:4–14. - PubMed
    1. Systemic lupus erythematosus: one year in review 2023. Zucchi D, Silvagni E, Elefante E, et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2023;41:997–1008. - PubMed
    1. Advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. Accapezzato D, Caccavale R, Paroli MP, Gioia C, Nguyen BL, Spadea L, Paroli M. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24:6578. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources