NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A small study suggests that supplementation with vitamin D can boost production of a protective chemical normally found in the skin, and may help prevent skin infections that are a common result of atopic dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disease that affects 10 to 20 percent of children and one to three percent of adults. It is characterized by areas of severe itching, redness and scaling. Over time, chronic changes can occur due to constant scratching and rubbing.
The condition puts patients at increased risk for skin infections by Staph aureus and the herpes and small pox viruses and recent research suggests that this may relate to a deficit in the immune response -- specifically an inability to ramp up production of the antimicrobial protein cathelicidin.
In their study, Dr. Tissa R. Hata and colleagues, from the University of California San Diego in La Jolla found that vitamin D supplementation appears to correct the problem.
In the study, which involved 14 patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and 14 normal controls, the researchers examined whether taking 4000 international units of vitamin D daily for 3 weeks could enhance cathelicidin expression in the skin.
An examination of skin samples showed that vitamin D use markedly increased cathelicidin levels in affected skin from dermatitis patients. Skin samples from controls and unaffected skin from dermatitis patients also showed increased cathelicidin expression but not to the extent seen in affected skin.
The researchers call for larger and longer studies examining the incidence and risks of infections in atopic subjects while on vitamin D supplementation "to see if this increase in cathelicidin is adequate in the prevention of infections in these patients."
SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, October 3, 2008.
