Vitamin D very low in multiple sclerosis patients
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Reporting by David Liu, and editing by Denise Reynolds
A new study suggests multiple sclerosis patients should be screened for vitamin D deficiency and given supplementation when hypovitaminosis is diagnosed.
The study led by J.P. Neau and colleagues from Department of Neurology of CHU La Milétrie in France showed MS patients were diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency more often than those who did not have the disease.
Neau et al. compared 170 MS patients with 170 age-matched controls and found serum levels of 25-OH vitamin D were significantly lower in MS patients than the controls: 14.5 mcg/mL versus 16.7 mcg/mL.
The researchers also found vitamin D serum levels were inversely correlated with the degree of disability in multiple sclerosis patients.
The study was published in the Dec 24, 2010 issue of Revue Neurologique.
Multiple sclerosis is a nervous disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Patients with the disease experience symptoms including visual disturbances, muscle weakness, trouble with coordination and balance, sensations like numbness and thinking and memory problems.
Vitamin D is known to be important in brain development.
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