Vitamin D and skin diseases: A review.
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Date
2015-07
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Abstract
Vitamin D, originally associated with rickets and osteomalacia, has recently been shown
to have a role in a number of medical and dermatological diseases. It has been found
that vitamin D receptors and the enzymatic machinery capable of converting circulating
25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] to the active 1,25-hydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)D] is present in
most cells in the body including the skin. It is well known that vitamin D analogs are effective
in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris because of their anti-proliferative and pro-differentiating
effects on keratinocytes. However, new roles have been found for vitamin D in skin, such as
immunomodulatory and anti-apoptotic effects thus raising a possibility of its use in conditions
such as atopic dermatitis and infections. Increasing evidence now indicates that cutaneous
vitamin D synthesis may help in prevention of skin malignancies and further, that cancer
mortality may be reduced by oral supplementation of vitamin D. Various epidemiological studies
have linked low levels of vitamin D to autoimmune diseases including vitiligo, and topical vitamin
D has been used to treat vitiligo. This review focuses on a wide array of roles of vitamin D in
various skin disorders with emphasis on both its well-established role as in psoriasis and the
less characterized role in other disorders such as ichthyosis, tuberculosis or acne.
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Keywords
Icthyosis, psoriasis, vitamin D, vitiligo
Citation
Wadhwa Bhawna, Relhan Vineet, Goel Khushbu, Kochhar Atul M, Garg Vijay Kumar. Vitamin D and skin diseases: A review. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology. 2015 Jul-Aug; 81(4): 344-355.