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# Vitamin D3 supplements improve urticaria or hives
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_d3_hives_0704140812/
- Published: 2014-07-04T09:12:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:05:53.000Z
- Description: In a trial of 42 chronic urticaria patients already on triple drug therapy, adding 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily cut symptom scores a further 40 percent by week 12 while 600 IU did not. The high dose also tracked with better sleep and itch scores, with no adverse events.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Friday July 4, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- Researchers at University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska conducted a trial and confirmed supplementation with vitamin D3 may help decrease urticaria symptom severity and reduce the medication burden in patients suffering chronic urticaria. Observational studies have early shown a link between vitamin D and chronic urticaria.

Urticaria commonly known as hives, is a type of skin rash notable for pale red, raised, itchy bumps. Many factors including medications, environmental factors, pressure can induce this condition, but 30 to 40 % of cases may be caused by autoimmune reaction. Drugs inducing the condition include dextroamphetamine, aspirin, ibuprofen, penicillin, clotrimazole, trichazole, sulfonamides, anticonvulsants, cefaclor, and antidiabetic drugs.

In the trial, 42 patients with chronic urticaria were randomized to receive either 4,000 IU vitamin D3 or 600 IU vitamin D3 per day for 12 weeks in addition to a triple drug therapy (cetirizine, ranitidine, and montelukast).

As a result, triple drug therapy decreased the urticaria symptom scores by 33% in the first week of intervention, and high-dose, but not low-dose vitamin D3 supplementation was able to further decrease the score by 40% by week 12.

Compared with low-dose vitamin D3 supplementation, high dose-vitamin D3 supplementation led to lower total urticaria symptom scores by week 12, specifically, decreased body distribution and number of days with hives.

Additionally, high dose vitamin D3 supplementation also was associated with better sleep quality and pruritus scores. Vitamin D3 supplements increased serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which was somehow not correlated with urticaria symptom scores.

No difference in use of medications and no adverse events were observed in the two groups.

The trial concluded "Add-on therapy with high-dose vitamin D3 (4,000 IU/d) could be considered a safe and potentially beneficial immunomodulator in patients with chronic urticaria." (david Liu, pHD)

Rorie A, Goldner WS, Lyden E, Poole JA. Beneficial role for supplemental vitamin D3 treatment in chronic urticaria: a randomized study. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2014 Apr;112(4):376-82.