Abstract
Vitamin D plays a role in the development of the immune system and the lung, as well as in airway remodelling. Therefore, this study investigated the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and spirometric lung function parameters at age 15 years.
In the German birth cohorts GINIplus and LISAplus, lung function testing by spirometry and 25(OH)D measurements were performed during the 15-year follow-up examinations. Valid lung function measurements pre- and/or post-bronchodilation and serum 25(OH)D concentrations, which were adjusted for the date of blood sampling to account for seasonal variability, were available for 2607 adolescents. Associations between 25(OH)D concentrations and spirometric parameters were analysed using generalised additive models adjusted for confounding factors.
Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly associated with forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and FEV1/FVC measured before bronchodilation after adjustment for potential confounders: FEV1 increased by 10 mL (95% CI 2–17), FVC by 20 mL (95% CI 12–28) and FEV1/FVC decreased by 0.177% (95% CI −0.286 to −0.067) per 10 nmol·L−1 increase in 25(OH)D concentrations. Flow rates (forced expiratory flow rates at 25, 50 and 75% of exhaled FVC (FEF25, FEF50, FEF75) and mean flow rate between 25 and 75% of FVC (FEF25–75)) were not associated with vitamin D. Similar associations were observed for lung function parameters measured after bronchodilation.
Vitamin D concentrations are positively associated with volume-related lung function parameters pre- and post-bronchodilation, suggesting structural changes in peripheral airways.
Abstract
Serum 25(OH)D concentrations are positively associated with volume-related lung function parameters in adolescence http://ow.ly/6WmC309dLrS
Footnotes
Support statement: The GINIplus study was mainly supported for the first 3 years by the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology (interventional arm) and Helmholtz Zentrum Munich (former GSF) (observational arm). The 4-year, 6-year and 10-year follow-up examinations of the GINIplus study were covered by the respective budgets of the five study centres (Helmholtz Zentrum Munich (former GSF), Research Institute at Marien-Hospital Wesel, LMU Munich, TU Munich, and from 6 years onwards also from IUF – Leibniz Research-Institute for Environmental Medicine at the University of Düsseldorf) and a grant from the Federal Ministry for Environment (IUF Düsseldorf, FKZ 20462296). The 15 year follow-up examination of the GINIplus study was partially supported by the Commission of the European Communities, the 7th Framework Programme, MeDALL project, as well as by the companies Mead Johnson and Nestlé. The LISAplus studies were mainly supported for the first 2 years by the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ in Leipzig, and the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich (former GSF). The 4-year, 6-year, 10-year and 15-year follow-up examinations were covered from the respective budgets of the four study centres: Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Research Institute at Marien-Hospital Wesel, and UFZ Leipzig, and also IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine at the University of Düsseldorf at age 6 and 10 years. The 15-year follow-up examination of the LISAplus study was also supported by the Commission of the European Communities, the 7th Framework Programme, and the MeDALL project. This work was supported by the Comprehensive Pneumology Center Munich (CPC-M) as a member of the German Center for Lung Research. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registry.
Conflict of interest: Disclosures can be found alongside this article at erj.ersjournals.com
- Received September 12, 2016.
- Accepted January 11, 2017.
- Copyright ©ERS 2017