Assessment of the Relation Between Asthma Severity and Serum Vitamin D Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study

IntroductionVitamin D3's importance for bone health in children and its potential role beyond musculocutaneous health is an ongoing area of research. This study assesses vitamin D3 deficiency prevalence in asthmatic children and its correlation with asthma cases and healthy controls.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Punjab, India among children between 5 and 15 years of age. Fifty children diagnosed with "bronchial asthma" who were under follow-up in the asthma clinic in outpatient and inpatient patients were enrolled as cases. Age-matched 50 healthy controls who presented for routine check-ups were enrolled in the control group. Demographic details were noted and clinical examination was done in all the cases. 25-(OH) vitamin D levels were estimated and compared in all cases and controls. The study also analyzed the relationship between 25-(OH) vitamin D levels with asthma control and severity.ResultsThe study showed that serum vitamin D3 level was significantly decreased in asthmatic children (24.62 +/- 14.95 ng/ml) as compared with the healthy control group (32.08 +/- 12.22 ng/ml). Also, serum vitamin D3 level was significantly decreased in children with uncontrolled asthma (12.06 +/- 4.68 ng/ml) as compared to children with well-controlled asthma (44.82 +/- 10.48 ng/ml).ConclusionThe findings showed that low serum levels were observed more in asthmatic children as compared to healthy children. A correlation was also found between vitamin D3 levels and asthma severity, its control, and the number of acute exacerbations in the last year.