Do Calcium and Vitamin D Levels in Blood Predict Clinical Features and/or Response to Treatment in People with Psoriasis?
type: CreativeWork
description: Context: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin disease which is chronic and inflammatory, with multiple clinical types and variable severity. It is renowned for its significantly negative effect on quality of life and presents with recurrent relapses and remissions. The selection of treatment of psoriasis is dependent on the psoriasis type, impact on the individual and the severity of the disease. Variable factors that remain incompletely understood influence response to systemic treatment. It is of interest to establish whether calcium or vitamin D serum levels are linked with response to treatment in people with variable (moderate to severe) psoriasis in our population. Aims: This study aims to establish whether: 1. Clinical type or severity of psoriasis is correlated with serum calcium or vitamin D; 2. Calcium or vitamin D serum levels and response to treatment with systemic agents, including methotrexate, cyclosporine, acitretin and ultraviolet light, are associated in people with variable (moderate to severe) psoriasis; 3. Calcium and vitamin D serum levels differ in psoriatic patients compared with such levels in a control group. Materials and methods: As a case control (prospective) study, one hundred people (n = 100) were recruited, fifty having psoriasis and fifty control subjects. The psoriatic participants began a new systemic treatment and/or ultraviolet light for moderate to severe psoriasis. On the basis of a PASI score at both baseline and a three-month follow-up, response to treatment was assessed. The calcium and vitamin D serum levels were measured in psoriatic patients and controls. The collected blood samples were processed by the National Health Laboratory Services. Data collected from interviews, examination and laboratory results were recorded on a data capture sheet. The study was planned to be conducted for one year, but, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was extended into a second year. For the psoriasis group, visits at one month and thre…
abstract: Context: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin disease which is chronic and inflammatory, with multiple clinical types and variable severity. It is renowned for its significantly negative effect on quality of life and presents with recurrent relapses and remissions. The selection of treatment of psoriasis is dependent on the psoriasis type, impact on the individual and the severity of the disease. Variable factors that remain incompletely understood influence response to systemic treatment. It is of interest to establish whether calcium or vitamin D serum levels are linked with response to treatment in people with variable (moderate to severe) psoriasis in our population. Aims: This study aims to establish whether: 1. Clinical type or severity of psoriasis is correlated with serum calcium or vitamin D; 2. Calcium or vitamin D serum levels and response to treatment with systemic agents, including methotrexate, cyclosporine, acitretin and ultraviolet light, are associated in people with variable (moderate to severe) psoriasis; 3. Calcium and vitamin D serum levels differ in psoriatic patients compared with such levels in a control group. Materials and methods: As a case control (prospective) study, one hundred people (n = 100) were recruited, fifty having psoriasis and fifty control subjects. The psoriatic participants began a new systemic treatment and/or ultraviolet light for moderate to severe psoriasis. On the basis of a PASI score at both baseline and a three-month follow-up, response to treatment was assessed. The calcium and vitamin D serum levels were measured in psoriatic patients and controls. The collected blood samples were processed by the National Health Laboratory Services. Data collected from interviews, examination and laboratory results were recorded on a data capture sheet. The study was planned to be conducted for one year, but, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was extended into a second year. For the psoriasis group, visits at one month and thre…
author: Waghid, Sihan
keywords: psoriasis treatment, calcium and vitamin D levels, psoriasis area severity index (PASI)
date published: 2022
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:41Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Medicine

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37022