RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Vitamin D in Tunisian young asthmatics
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP p1143
VO 38
IS Suppl 55
A1 Tangour, Eya
A1 Maalmi, Haifa
A1 Ammar, Jamel
A1 Berraies, Anissa
A1 Abid, Hanadi
A1 Hamzaoui, Kamel
A1 Yaalaoui, Sadok
A1 Hamzaoui, Agnes
YR 2011
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1143.abstract
AB Vitamin D deficiency has been described in numerous chronic inflammatory diseases.We sought to investigate vitamin D in children with asthma and its interaction with disease variables and inflammatory responses.Methods: Thirty-nine children with asthma in a stable state were enrolled. Samples were obtained in summer. Lung function was measured on the same day. Serum concentrations of vitamin D were assayed with a radioimmunoassay kit, 30 healthy children acted as controls. CD4+ blood lymphocytes were investigated for cytokines expression (IFNg, IL4, IL10, IL17) by intracytoplasmic cytokines expression quantified by cytofluorometry. CD4+ CD25+FoxP3+ cells were identified as regulatory T cells.Only 15% of our patients had a sufficient serum 25(OH) D ((33.83 + 3.31 ng/ml). Deficient values were observed in 43% of asthmatic patients (14.40 + 3.30; P = 0.0001). A positive correlation was found between FVC percent predicted and vitamin D (r = 0.35; P = 0.027). A negative correlation was observed between serum IL-17 and vitamin D (r = - 0.617; P = 0.001). Th1/Th2 ratios of controls were higher (27.26 + 14.35%) than those of patients (13.48 + 8.55%; P = 0.0001). In asthma, Th1/Th2 ratio was correlated with vitamin D (r= 0.68; P = 0.0001). Tr1/Th17 ratio was significantly decreased in asthmatic children. A positive correlation was observed between vitamin D and IL-10+ cells (r = 0.428; P = 0.008). A correlation was observed between the percentage of CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells and vitamin D values in asthmatics (r = 0.368)Conclusions: Asthma was associated with lower serum Vitamin D levels despite high levels of sun exposure. Our findings suggest that vitamin D is an important promoter of T cell regulation in vivo in asthma patients.