Comparison of vitamin D levels between patients with pterygium and healthy subjects.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare vitamin D (VD) deficiency frequency among patients with pterygium to that of healthy subjects and to investigate the VD deficiency among patients with pterygium.

Methods: One-hundred eight pterygium patients and 94 healthy subjects were included in the study. Blood samples were collected from groups during the same time interval and the samples were saved. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and parathormone (PTH) levels were measured and analyzed.

Results: The pterygium group consisted of 57 female and 51 male patients, while the control group consisted of 47 female and 47 male patients. The mean age, sex and mean BMI were similar in the two groups (p > 0.05). The percentage of time that individuals spent outdoors was higher in the pterygium group (p = 0.02). The percentage of VD deficiency was 83.3% in the pterygium group and 61.7% in the control group (p = 0.001). There was a positive correlation between VD and time spent outdoors (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: VD deficiency can play a role in pterygium etiopathogenesis. Wide population-based studies in different regions are needed to evaluate this result.