Assessment of disease activity score with respect to vitamin D in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a crippling disorder with articular, extra-articular as well as systemic drawbacks. The present study was conducted to assess disease activity score with respect to vitamin D in rheumatoid arthritis. Materials & Methods: 58 patients of rheumatoid arthritis of both genders were selected and measurement of vitamin D was done with ELISA in an autoanalyzer. Disease activity score 28 (DAS28) and Visual analog scale scoring system tools were used. Disease severity was evaluated according to the significance of DAS28 score are as follows-Remission: DAS28 ≤2.6, Low disease activity: 2.6 <DAS28 ≤3.2, Moderate disease Activity: 3.2 <DAS28 ≤5.1 and high disease Activity: DAS28 >5.1. Results: Out of 58 patients, males were 26 and females were 32. The mean vitamin D level in patients with low disease activity was 10.5 ng/ml, in moderate disease activity was 11.2 ng/ml and in high disease activity group was 10.3 ng/ml. The mean DAS-28 score in low, moderate and high disease activity group was 2.7, 4.3 and 5.2 respectively. The difference was significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: A significant association has been found between the comparison of the level of vitamin D and the DAS-28 score.