The effect of vitamin D deficiency in patients with trigeminal neuralgia: A case control study

Abstract

An association between vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain has been suggested in several observations. The objective of this study was to determine whether there was an interrelation between patients with trigeminal neuralgia and vitamin D levels. This study included 45 patients. All patients were diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia in the Department of Pain Management. Age, sex, diagnosis year, antiepileptic drug use and medication for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) treatment were obtained and recorded. Patients included in the study were grouped based on the Barrow Neurological Institute Pain lntensity Scale (BNI) as BNI <4 Group 1, BNl > 4 Group 2. Trigeminal neuralgia patient’s quantitative assessment of pain was performed under the supervision of a pain specialist who was blinded to the study. Demographic data were similar in each group. A patient in Group I and 13 patients in Group 2 had interventional pain therapies before blood samples were obtained. The mean level of vitamin D was found as 29.6 + 5.8 ng/ml in Group I and defined as insufficient. The mean level of vitamin D was 12.9 + 5.0 ng/ml in Group 2. The mean level of Vitamin D was significantly lower in patients with a BNI pain intensity value ≥4 (p < 0.001). lt is concluded that decreased serum vitamin D concentration was associated with trigeminal neuralgia. Although it is not easy to determine any causal correlation with a cross-sectional case control study, we concluded that vitamin D deficiency, as a risk factor for many acute and chronic diseases, was associated with pain severity in trigeminal neuralgia patients.