Severity of Asthma and Serum Vitamin D Levels in Asthmatic Children

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has been rediscovered as a public health problem worldwide. It has been postulated that vitamin D deficiency explains a portion of the asthma epidemic. The purpose of this study was to assess the serum vitamin D levels in children with asthma as compared with the non-asthmatic population and to investigate the association of serum vitamin D levels with the severity of asthma. Materials and Methods: We measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH vitamin D) levels in 50 children with mild intermittent to moderate persistent asthma at the time of enrollment and 50 age-and sex-matched non-asthmatic children in a case-control study. The independent sample t-test, chi(2) test, and spearman correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. Results: Vitamin D level was 13.6 +/- 1.1 ng/ml and 19.2 +/- 1.8 ng/ml in asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals, respectively. The mean (+/- SD) levels of serum vitamin D were statistically significant between asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals. Females had lower levels of vitamin D than males. Asthma severity was inversely associated with serum vitamin D level. Conclusion: Findings of the present study demonstrate the significance of vitamin D in asthma. Sufficient doses of vitamin D should be administered to pregnant mothers and the babies monitored for symptoms of wheezing or asthma during childhood. Clinical trials are needed to definitively answer questions about the role of vitamin D in asthma.