Serum 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Levels and Disease Severity in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis: An Inverse Correlation

• Suad Altubouli

  Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, AL Bayda, Libya

  Author

• Hana Hafalish

  Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, AL Bayda, Libya

  Author

• Marfoua Ali

  Department of Zoology, College of Science, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, AL Bayda, Libya

  Author

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease that typically begins during infancy and early childhood with a complex pathophysiology involving immune dysregulation and skin barrier defects. Because of its immunomodulatory qualities, vitamin D is thought to be a major factor in the severity of AD. Research on vitamin D's function in the pathophysiology of AD is conducted worldwide. Regional data from North Africa is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum "25-HydroxyVitamin-D" levels and the clinical severity of AD in children. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 200 children (aged 1-12 years) with AD at the Diabetes Center in Al Bayda City from September 2024 to August 2025. The severity of the disease was evaluated using the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, and serum "25-HydroxyVitamin-D" levels were measured. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, SPSS v26.0, Pearson's correlation, and ANOVA. The average level of vitamin D was 26.67 ± 15.92 ng/ml. Vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL) were inadequate or deficient in a startling 75% of the group. Vitamin D levels and SCORAD scores were shown to be significantly inversely correlated (r = -0.28, p < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant difference in mean Vitamin-Dlevels was observed across age groups (p < 0.001), with toddlers (1-3 years) having the highest levels (34.97 ng/mL) than older children (22-23 ng/mL). Serum vitamin D levels and the severity of AD in children are significantly inversely correlated, according to this study. Additionally, it emphasizes how common vitamin D deficiency is in this group, especially in older kids. These findings support the role of Vitamin D in the consideration of supplementation in the management of pediatric AD.

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