Sunlight exposure, consumption of vitamin D-rich foods and vulvovaginal candidiasis in an African population: a prevalence case-control study.

Background/objectives: To date, only two studies have investigated the relationship between vitamin D (vitD) deficiency and candidiasis in spite of vitD's antimicrobial and immunomodulatory roles. We examined the relationship between sunlight exposure and consumption of vitD-rich foods, markers of vitD status, and vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) in an African population to add to the limited evidence and stimulate additional research.

Subjects/methods: Three hundred cases (females diagnosed as suffering from VVC) and three hundred controls (females diagnosed as suffering from any condition other than VVC) were selected from three health facilities in Cape Coast, Ghana.