Assessment of serum vitamin d levels in different severities of asthmatic patients

• Main Authors: Waleed M. El-Sorougi, Hisham H. Eissa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2016-11-01
• Series: The Egyptian Journal of Bronchology
• Subjects: 25-hydroxy vitamin D; asthma; forced expiratory volume at 1 s
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.4103/1687-8426.193636

Abstract Background There is conflicting evidence about the association between low vitamin D levels and asthma. Aim The aim of this work was to assess the relation between the serum level of vitamin D and the asthma severity. Patients and method A total of 90 asthmatic patients were diagnosed of bronchial asthma clinically and functionally according to GINA guidelines classification 2012. The serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level was measured in all the cases. The relation between the serum level of vitamin D and forced expiratory volume at 1 s (FEV1) was analyzed. Then, it was correlated to age, sex, and BMI variables. Results Patients were divided into three groups according to FEV1 prebronchodilators. The mean value of vitamin D was 30.43 in mild cases, whereas it was 20.27 in moderate cases, and 11.97 in severe cases. These data stated that the lower the FEV1, the greater the vitamin D deficiency levels, and this relation was statistically highly significant (P <0.001). When the three groups (of severity of airway obstruction: mild, moderate, and severe) were compared with each other, the Pvalue was less than 0.001 for all. When the three variables were added as a third cofactor (age, sex, or BMI) separately, we did not find any statistically significant effect on the results. Conclusion In asthmatic patients, the serum level of vitamin D was found to be directly proportional to the severity of asthma with no relation to the age, the sex, or the BMI. Further studies are recommended to assess the effect of the correction of serum vitamin D levels on the severity of asthma and asthma control.