Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is an immune-inflammatory disease, characterized by acute
phase response (APR) and immune activation. There has been increasing evidence showing that vitamin D
deficiency/insufficiency is associated with increased incidence and/or severity of immune-inflammatory disorders.
Aim: To assess relationship between vitamin D status and C-reactive protein (CRP), a nonspecific inflammatory
marker of CSU activity.
Methods: Concentrations of CRP and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], a biomarker of vitamin D status were
measured in serum of CSU patients and compared with the healthy controls.
Results: Serum 25(OH)D concentration was significantly lower in CSU group as compared with the normal subjects.
The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/ml) was significantly higher in patients with CSU than among
normal population. There were no significant differences in prevalence of 25(OH)D insufficiency between the
groups. Serum CRP concentrations were significantly higher in CSU patients as compared with the healthy subjects.
There were no significant correlations between CRP and 25(OH)D concentrations in CSU patients.
Conclusions: CSU is associated with lower serum 25(OH)D concentration and higher prevalence of its deficiency.
The results failed to show any effect of vitamin D status on circulating CRP concentrations in CSU. A potential role
of vitamin D in pathogenesis and/or additive therapy of CSU needs to be examined in other cohorts of CSU
patients as well as in larger studies.