Alemtuzumab treatment of autoimmune diseases has many side effects, Vitamin D should prevent most of them

Created July 2019

Vitamin D supplementation for the prevention or depletion of side effects of therapy with alemtuzumab in multiple sclerosis

Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management Volume 2019:15 Pages 891—904, DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/TCRM.S188941

Hans-Klaus Goischke

Independent Research, Internal Medicine, Rehabilitation Medicine, Social Medicine, Bad Brückenau, Bavaria, Germany

Alemtuzumab appears to be a chemotherapy drug used to treat Multiple Sclerosis and various Cancers Many of the diseases can be prevented and/or treated by Vitamin D without the use of Alemtuzumab * Chemotherapy and vitamin D - many studies * Chemotherapy drugs often reduce Vitamin D levels, restoring levels helps– Aug 2018 * FDA Approves Lemtrada™ (alemtuzumab) for Relapsing MS - UPDATE-for-Relapsing) Nov 2014 --- 1. Overview MS and vitamin D contains the following summary {include}

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Purpose of review: Not only the multiple sclerosis specialist but also the general neurologist and primary care practitioner are increasingly aware of possible adverse events (AEs) by treatment with alemtuzumab (over 47% risk of secondary autoimmune-mediated diseases). Vitamin D supplementation’s effect (VDS) to reduce these autoimmune AEs is poorly performed in routine practice. This article seeks to justify why this simple, inexpensive, patient-friendly therapy should be seriously discussed.

Recent findings: Patients who have developed autoimmunity also show a high basal level of IL-21, a cytokine which increases the growth of auto-reactive T-cells.

For side effects such as

  • thyroid dysfunction,

  • autoimmune thrombocytopenia,

  • autoimmune hemolytic

  • anemia,

  • autoimmune hepatitis,

  • diabetes mellitus type 1, and

  • alopecia areata/alopecia totalis,

VDS may have an impact on the immunological mechanism, in particular lowering levels of IL-17 and IL-21.

Summary: The potential role of vitamin D in influencing autoimmune diseases is evident. If a life-threatening side-effect can be prevented by high-dose VDS, it is ethical to initiate this add-on therapy despite contradictory results in studies on the effectiveness of VDS.

Tags: Autoimmune Cancer - after diagnosis Multiple Sclerosis