Serum level of vitamin D reduces in sulfur mustard-exposed individuals with long-term pulmonary complications

Background and Objective: Vitamin D as an immunomodulatory agent is an effective factor to suppress inflammatory responses. It is shown that serum level of vitamin D reduces in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, some studies have shown that vitamin D modulates white blood cells (WBC) and lymphocytes, especially in inflammatory disease. Moreover, WBC and platelets increase in people with periodontitis as an inflammatory disease. In the present study, serum level of vitamin D and its correlation with lymphocyte, platelet, neutrophils and WBC count were investigated in sulfur mustard (SM)- exposed individuals in comparison with healthy control group.



Materials and Methods: Participants were 100 SM-exposed individuals with pulmonary complications and 87 unexposed as control group. Serum level of vitamin D was measured by ELISA and lymphocyte, platelet, neutrophil cells and white blood cells were measured by cell counter method.



Results: The results showed that the serum level of vitamin D decreases in SM-exposed individuals (P<0.001). White blood cells and neutrophils significantly increase in SM-exposed group as compared to control group (P<0.001). Lymphocyte cells reduce in SM-exposed group (P<0.001). But percentage of platelet cells showed no differences between the two groups (P= 0.083). Also, there was a correlation between serum level of vitamin D and lymphocyte cells and also between neutrophils and serum level of vitamin D (P<0.05).



Conclusion: This study revealed that SM-exposed individuals with pulmonary complication have deregulation in relation to vitamin D and immune system components.