Concentration of 25(OH)D in blood serum and certain aspects of the clinical course of juvenile scleroderma

Purpose — to assess the vitamin D supply in children and adolescents with systemic juvenile scleroderma (JS), taking into account its onset and clinical course at different periods of the child's development. Materials and methods. 14 children of 1 year 3 months —17 years old with systemic JS and 10 healthy children of the control group were examined. The concentration of 25(OH)D was determined in blood serum using commercial kits Vitamin D3 — Screeningkit, Switzerland, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Results. All patients with systemic JS showed a decrease in serum 25(OH)D levels — (24.55±9.32) ng/ml, compared to healthy children — (39.98±3.11) ng/ml. The lowest concentrations of the circulating form of vitamin D in the blood serum were in patients with limited form of systemic JS with Parry–Romberg hemiatrophy and «saber strike» — (14.07±3.38) ng/ml, as well as with the onset of generalized rapidly progressive JS in children at puberty — (16.31±4.6) ng/ml. Conclusions. Children with JS are shown to assess their vitamin D status by monitoring the serum concentration of 25(OH)D in order to decide whether to prescribe vitamin D supplements. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interest was declared by the authors. Key words: children, juvenile scleroderma, vitamin D.