Correlation of Serum Vitamin D Receptor Level with Bacterial Index in Multibacillary Leprosy Patients at Sanglah General Hospital, Bali-Indonesia

Leprosy cases were still a common problem in Indonesia. Even though Bali was not considered as a high epidemic region in Indonesia, new cases of multibacillary leprosy continuously appeared. Vitamin D and its receptor, Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) has a role in modulation of immune system against M. leprae. This study aimed to find correlation between blood VDR serum level with bacterial index of multibacillary leprosy patients. Study design using cross-sectional model conducted in Sanglah General Hospital involving 47 multibacillary leprosy patients taken consecutively from July-October 2017. The level of VDR was examined by ELISA method. Characteristic of study participant is 29 (61.7%) male patients and 18 (38.3%) female patients. The mean age of the patient was 38.83 years. The mean VDR level was 27.80 pg/dl. Spearman correlation test found that there is a strong negative correlation (r = - 0.954; p < 0.001) between plasma level of VDR with bacterial index in multibacillary patients. This result suggests that the lower the VDR level, the higher bacterial index in leprosy patients. This study emphasizes more the role of Vitamin D and its receptor in immunomodulation especially in leprosy infection. Keywords: leprosy, multibacillary, VDR, bacterial index.