Table 1.

Initial vitamin D₃ doses used within the Coimbra protocol for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Initial vitamin D3 dose [I.U./kg body weight]	Disease
1,000	Multiple sclerosis
300-500	Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Psoriatic arthritis, Psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative colitis
300	Systemic scleroderma, Ankylosing spondylitis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
150	Others

Doses are successively adapted (almost always lowered) during follow-up according to a standardized procedure which considers parathyroid hormone and calcium concentrations as well as the clinical condition of the patient.