Is vitamin D deficiency a more frequent finding in hirsutism or not?

Abstract

Evidence shows that vitamin D (Vit D) insufficiency is associated with some hormonal disorders. Hirsutism is a prevalent hormonal condition, which is usually associated with excess of androgenic hormones. Disturbance of Vit D level affects the regulation of these hormones and may be associated with hirsutism. This study compared the Vit D levels of women with and without hirsutism. The study aimed to answer the question "Do women with hirsutism more commonly have lower levels of vitamin D compared to women without hirsutism". In this cross-sectional study, 202 women were included (101 with hirsutism and 101 without hirsutism). 25-hydroxy Vit D level was assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All data was analyzed based on a significance level < 0.05. The age distribution was similar in both groups (P > 0.05). The mean level of Vit D had no statistically significant differences between the hirsutism group (21.40 ng/ml) and non-hirsutism group (21.20 ng/ml) (P > 0.05). Also, no significant correlations between menstrual patterns, body mass index and presence of polycystic ovaries, with different levels of Vit D were observed in hirsute women (P > 0.05). The study found no significant difference in Vit D levels between individuals with and without hirsutism. About half of the individuals in both groups had Vit D deficiency. But these findings do not rule out the possible role of vitamin D deficiency in the development of hirsutism.

Keywords: 25-hydroxy vitamin D; Hirsutism; Polycystic ovary.