Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Serum TNF-a Levels and Disease Activity in SLE Patients

The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin C supplementation compared to placebo towards TNF-α levels and disease activity with the MEX-SLEDAI score in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients. The current study was designed as a single-center double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. The participants were voluntarily recruited ≥ 18 years old SLE patients, with mild to moderate disease activity and did not consumed vitamin C 1 week prior to the trial study. Participants were randomized into two groups receiving vitamin C supplementation, or placebo. TNF-α levels and MEX-SLEDAI score were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the 8 week trial for analysis.