Arthritis Ireland Blog
Vitamin D deficiency ‘common’ in rheumatic diseases
June 23rd, 2010
Vitamin D plays an essential role in the absorption and use of calcium and phosphorus, so it is crucial for the formation and health of bones, teeth and cartilage. Two new studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in people with a range of rheumatic diseases.
Research presented at the annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) suggests that over half of all rheumatic patients have levels below the recommended threshold.
In the first study, UK scientists studied 180 patients with inflammatory joint diseases, osteoarthritis or myalgia (muscle pain).
They found that 58 per cent of participants had vitamin D levels below those considered to be acceptable.
Meanwhile, Italian scientists looked at 1,191 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in order to compare vitamin D levels with measures of disease activity.
Their study revealed that levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (a measure of vitamin D in the blood) were lower than normal in 85 per cent of patients who did not take supplements.
Vitamin D levels were also low in 60 per cent of rheumatoid arthritis patients who did take supplements of 800IU or more per day.
Analysis of patients who did not take supplements revealed that vitamin D levels were linked to individuals’ degree of disability, mobility and number of swollen joints.
Dr Luca Idolazzi, from the University of Verona’s rheumatology unit, commented: “We have seen in studies that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with a range of rheumatic diseases, and our results have confirmed this using several clinically accepted measures of disease activity.
“What we need to see now is a range of long-term studies which examine the clinical response of patients to vitamin D supplementation.”
Vitamin D can be found naturally in some foods (salmon, mackerel, tuna, fish oils and eggs) and can be generated in our bodies by exposure to sunlight.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 12:24 pm |
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I just found out that if you have rheumatoiud arthritis you should not take anything with Bisophophonates because it may contribute to serious side affects like lupus! These bisphosphonates are supposed to help with bone restoration in Osteoporosis and Paget’s disease, but they are lethal to our body’s natural bone regeneration!
So I just started going the homeopathic route about 4 and 1/2 months ago and it has helped me without the side affects. It is almost impossible to find a place to buy the right nutrients without paying ridiculous prices, but I did find one that sells for super low below wholesale and has given me free shipping. The site is NuvaLife, I probably can’t put the names of the products because that is like advertising for someone else, but they have all the top brand names at NuvaLife, so you can check it out for yourself if you want. I can’t say the arthitis is cured, but I don’t have the daily pain and swelling anymore, just like twice a month and plain old aspirin works for that. Good Luck =o) I will try to post if I find anyone else that offers as good of prices or deals for vitamins!