For the first time researchers have linked lupus to low vitamin D levels.

The study, published in the journal Lupus Science & Medicine, is based on an analysis of vitamin D levels of Australian patients with systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease treated at the Monash University Medical Centre Lupus Clinic between 2007 and 2013, Medical Xpress reports.

Lead researcher Kristy Yap, M.D., from the Centre for Inflammatory Diseases in the School of Clinical Sciences, said most of the patients with the severe incurable and debilitating autoimmune disease had very low levels of the “sunshine vitamin.”

"We found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in our cohort," said Dr Yap. "Significantly, over a quarter of our patients recorded low vitamin D levels, keeping with reports from other parts of the world, including Asia and Europe."

Lupus is the most common autoimmune disease, affecting at least five million people worldwide. It is predominantly diagnosed in young women.

The new research suggests increasing vitamin D levels may help combat the condition and the Monash investigators now plan to study the potential clinical benefits of vitamin D supplementation in lupus patients.