Correlation between plasma levels of IL-33 and Vitamin D in patients with severe uncontrolled allergic asthma

Abstract

Introduction: Recently epidemiological studies showed that vitamin D insufficiency is associated with airway obstruction and low lung function in patients with allergic asthma.

Aim of study: We investigated whether low vitamin D is linked with circulating IL-33 in 14 patients and how reflects of pulmonary function in severe uncontrolled allergic asthma.

Materials and Methods: The study included 14 patients with severe uncontrolled allergic asthma. In each of them were measured plasma levels of IL-33 by the ELISA method and Vitamin D. The pulmonary function is measured by basic spirometry parameters, FEV1. The results were statistically elaborated according to the Spearman Rank Order Correlations-test.

The results: showed a significant negative correlation between plasma levels of IL-33 and Vitamin D ( IL-33/Vit.D; r<0.05, p= -0,07489), and correlation between IL-33 and FEV1 is statistically negative ( IL-33/FEV1; r<0.05, R= -0,07717) that means increasing levels of IL-33 leading to reduced values for FEV1 and this patients has also low Vitamin D.

Concusion: Because there is little studies about the link between vitamin D and asthma, further studies might be necessary to clarify the mechanism how vitamin D is able to control the activity of CD4+ T cells and the related Th2-type cytokines in the parthenogenesis of allergic disease, including asthma.