RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Vitamin D and airway obstruction in an urban Irish asthmatic population
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P885
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Conor Kerley
A1 Kenneth Bolger
A1 Katerina Hutchinson
A1 Cormican Cormican
A1 John Faul
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P885.abstract
AB Background: Ireland has a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, but the link, if any, between serum vitamin D levels and airway obstruction in asthma remains unclear.Methods: Between November 2011 and March 2012, 99 consecutive adult subjects with asthma (aged 18 – 80 years) underwent blood draw and lung function testing. Serum samples were analyzed for measures of total serum vitamin D, total calcium, serum albumin, total IgE, and eosinophil cationic protein.Results: Vitamin D deficiency, defined as 25(OH)D below 50nmol/L, was present in 73% (mean vitamin D level was 39nmol/L). 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in subjects with a low FEV1 /FVC (r = 0.26, p < 0.01). The combination of airway obstruction (FEV1 /FVC less than 0.7) and a serum 25(OH)D level less than 50 nmol/L was significantly more likely in non-atopic asthmatics (OR = 4, 1.08 – 15.35, p < 0.05) and in male asthmatics (OR = 5.5, p < 0.05) rather than female asthmatics (OR = 2.1, p = 0.47). The combination of airway obstruction (FEV1 /FVC less than 0.7) and a serum 25(OH)D level less than 50 nmol/L was also significantly more likely in males who had never smoked (OR = 6.1, 1.1 – 34.64, p < 0.05).Conclusions: In Irish adult asthmatic subjects, a low serum 25(OH)D level associated with airway obstruction is seen more often in non-atopic subjects and in men who have never smoked. It remains uncertain whether low serum 25(OH)D contributes to, or is a consequence of, airway obstruction in asthma.