Evaluation of serum Vitamin D levels in patients with lichen planus

Abstract

Background and Design: Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that most commonly affects the skin and oral mucosa. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone with immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate serum vitamin D levels in patients with LP and to compare these with those of healthy control subjects. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight patients with a diagnosis of LP and 46 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. The serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, calcium, phosphate and parathyroid hormone were studied from blood samples collected from all subjects. Results: The serum levels of vitamin D were lower in the LP patients compared to the controls and in the oral erosive LP patients compared to the other LP patients, although the difference was not statistically significant. There were no statistically significant differences in other laboratory parameters between the patient and the control groups. Conclusion: Our study revealed no clear relation between LP and vitamin D levels. The results of our study suggest that other factors except vitamin D, particularly probable triggers, play a more dominant role in the immunopathogenesis of LP. Further studies with larger patient populations assessing serum vitamin D levels in different types of LP and vitamin D-related gene polymorphisms are now needed in order to reveal the relation between LP and Vitamin D more clearly.