Document Type : Special Articles

Authors

• Ghazaleh Eskandari ¹
• Mahsa Ghajarzadeh ¹
• Mir Saeed Yekaninejad ²
• Mohammad Ali Sahraian ³
• Razieh Gorji ⁴
• Faezeh Rajaei ⁴
• Abbas Norouzi-Javidan ¹
• Alireza Faridar ⁵
• Amirreza Azimi ¹

¹ Brain and Spinal Injury Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

³ MS Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

⁴ Iranian Center of Neurological Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

⁵ Department of Neurology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston, TX.

Abstract

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune,  neuro- inflammatory disease  of  central nervous system affecting physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects of patients. Association of vitamin D deficiency and MS has been shown in previous studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum vitamin D level in MS cases and their sex-matched healthy siblings (who are genetically near similar) and non-relative sex-matched healthy controls.Methods: A total of 135 subjects enrolled in this case- control study. Group one (n = 45) consisted of patients with established MS. Group two (n = 45) included sex- matched healthy siblings of the group one and group three participants (n = 45) were non-relative sex- matched  healthy  controls.  Demographic  data  (age, sex), level of education, daily sun exposure duration, and month of birth gathered for all. Serum sample of all participants was collected for 25-hydroxy vitamin D measurement.Results: There was no significant difference between vitamin D level, sun exposure duration, education level, and season of birth in three evaluated groups. Mean vitamin D level was 8.2 ± 10.1 (nmol/l) in women and 13.3 ± 7 (nmol/l) in men (P = 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between daily sun exposure duration and vitamin D level in whole participants (r = 0.28, P < 0.001) as well as in MS patients (r = 0.32, P = 0.030). Mean vitamin D level was significantly lower  in  participants  who  have  born  in spring and summer.Conclusion:  Vitamin  D  deficiency  is  high  among Iranian population as well as MS patients.