Asthmatic Children Have Lower Vitamin D Levels Than Their Healthy Counterparts

“[Much clinical research is] being conducted around the world to study the novel role of vitamin D in nonmusculocutaneous health,” investigators of a study published in Cureus wrote. Therefore, they conducted a cross-sectional study to “evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in asthmatic children and to study the correlation of vitamin D levels with asthma control, severity of asthma, and number of exacerbations in the last year.”

The study focused on children aged 5 to 15 years. A total of 50 children diagnosed with bronchial asthma who were receiving care in both outpatient and inpatient settings were selected for analysis. Additionally, 50 age-matched healthy controls attending routine check-ups were analyzed for comparison.

Demographic information was recorded, and clinical examinations were performed on all participants. Serum levels of 25-(OH) vitamin D were measured and compared between the 2 groups. Investigators also examined the relationship between vitamin D3 levels and asthma control and severity.

The study found a significant decrease in serum vitamin D3 levels in children with asthma (24.62 ± 14.95 ng/ml) compared with the healthy control group (32.08 ± 12.22 ng/ml). Notably, within the asthmatic group, children with uncontrolled asthma exhibited even lower levels of vitamin D3 (12.06 ± 4.68 ng/ml) in contrast to those with well-controlled asthma (44.82 ± 10.48 ng/ml).

The investigators noted several limitations to their study, including its single-center nature, which raises concerns about generalizability to other trials or multicentric studies. The study’s location in India, where vitamin D deficiency is higher, may introduce bias and limit applicability to other countries.

Additionally, the study did not investigate the impact of vitamin D3 supplementation on reducing acute asthma exacerbations or changes in asthma severity in enrolled children. “Studies are needed to see the effect of vitamin D3 supplementations on asthma control, its severity, and the number of acute exacerbations,” the investigators wrote.