Endocrine Abstracts

In recent years, great attention has been given to the pleiotropic effect of vitamin D, a vitamin well known from its role in bone and calcium homeostasis. Also in the immune system, modulating effects by vitamin D have been described. Receptors for vitamin D are present in cells throughout the immune system and a central role for the antigen presenting dendritic cell and the macrophage in the effect of vitamin D in the immune system is described. The latter cells not only car...

Vitamin D deficiency is a global problem in many populations, but is a distinct problem for some groups e.g. pregnant women. A sufficient vitamin D status during pregnancy is important both for the mother, for the foetus and the newborn child. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration (25OH)D of the infant at birth correlates with the maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy. Vitamin D metabolism is altered during pregnancy, but the regulation and impact is unclear, e.g. t...

Idiopathic infantile hypercalcemia (IIH) constitutes a broad group of diseases with a common outcome namely, hypercalcemia. It is now recognized that mutations of the vitamin D catabolic cytochrome P450, CYP24A1 represent one of the major causes of IIH. Patients often present in neonatal life with transient hypercalcemia, but adults with hypercalciuria, renal stones & nephrocalcinosis also appear with CYP24A1 defects. Recently, there have been reports that pregnant females...