RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Vitamin D and autoimmunity: new aetiological and therapeutic considerations JF Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO Ann Rheum Dis FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism SP 1137 OP 1142 DO 10.1136/ard.2007.069831 VO 66 IS 9 A1 Yoav Arnson A1 Howard Amital A1 Yehuda Shoenfeld YR 2007 UL http://ard.bmj.com/content/66/9/1137.abstract AB Vitamin D is frequently prescribed by rheumatologists to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Several observations have shown that vitamin D inhibits proinflammatory processes by suppressing the enhanced activity of immune cells that take part in the autoimmune reaction. Moreover, recent evidence strongly suggests that vitamin D supplementation may be therapeutically beneficial, particularly for Th1-mediated autoimmune disorders. Some reports imply that vitamin D may even be preventive in certain disorders such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes type 1. It seems that vitamin D has crossed the boundaries of calcium metabolism and has become a significant factor in a number of physiological functions, specifically as a biological inhibitor of inflammatory hyperactivity.