Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Asthma in childhood.

Background: This study was designed to determine the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and asthma in paediatric age group as compared to controls. Asthma is among one the major causes of morbidity in children and it is suggested that vitamin D deficiency plays a role in asthma severity since it has immunomodulatory effects. Methods: This case-control study was performed at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi in paediatric department from January 2015 to May 2015. Cases and controls were recruited from the same hospital through consecutive sampling. Cases were patients with asthma and controls were patients with a minor illness other than asthma presenting in the outpatient department. The patients who had rickets, known vitamin D deficiency, renal disease, liver disease and other respiratory problems (tuberculosis, pneumonia cystic fibrosis) as assessed on medical records or history and examination were excluded both for cases and controls. Vitamin D levels were checked in all patients. The data was recorded and analysis was done through SPSS 14. Results: The two groups were comparable for age and gender. The mean age of patients in cases was7.66+2.92 while among controls it was 7.23± 2.65 years. Among 30 patients with asthma, vitamin D deficiency was found in 19 (63.33%) while in controls it was found in 8 patients (26.67%). P-value was 0.004 which was statistically significant. The odds ratio was 4.75, 95 % confidence interval for odds ration showing a significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency was remarkably higher in asthmatics in comparison to non-asthmatic children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]