Link between Asthma and Vitamin D Deficiency

Adult individual who are suffering from asthma and also suffering from vitamin D deficiency may be much more probably to experience asthma attacks. This is with respect to a new research by investigators from Tel Aviv University in Israel.

This is not the initial research to link vitamin D deficiency with asthma intensity. Few years back investigators reported on a research saying asthmatic kids with vitamin deficiency have worse lung function. But the authors of this recent research say earlier research indicating such association has been inconsistent.

“Vitamin D has major immunomodulatory effects and such as, was considered to have an effect on asthma – an immunologically mediated condition,” says research author Dr. Ronit Confino-Cohen.

“But most of the current data concerning vitamin D and asthma came from the pediatric population and was unreliable,” he adds. “Our current research is unique because the research population of young people is very huge and ‘uncontaminated’ by other conditions.”

Vitamin D-deficient asthma sufferers ‘25% more likely to have an asthma attack’

The study team evaluated the medical data of nearly 4 million people aged 22-50 who were members of Clalit Health Services – the biggest health care service provider in Israel.

The vitamin D ranges of 307,900 people were assessed. Among these, 21,237 individuals had physician-diagnosed asthma.

Outcomes of the analysis, recently presented in the journal Allergy, exposed that asthmatics who had lower vitamin D levels were 25% more probably to have an asthma attack than those whose vitamin D levels were usual.

These results stayed even after the team accounted for other possible things for asthma, such as being overweight, smoking and co-existing chronic conditions.

Leaving comments on the team’s results, Dr. Confino-Cohen states that:

“Our results add more proof to the connection between vitamin D and asthma, indicating beneficial outcomes of vitamin D on asthma exacerbations.

We assume that additional possible studies will support our outcomes. In the meanwhile, our outcomes support suggestions for screening of vitamin D levels in the subgroup of asthma sufferers who experience repeated exacerbations. In those people with vitamin D deficiency, supplementation may be necessary.”

Vitamin D supplementation: can it truly support treat asthma?

But no matter if vitamin D supplements are successful for symptoms of asthma is arguable. Earlier this year, one research presented in JAMA, in which investigators stated that for individuals with asthma, vitamin D supplements do not enhance symptoms or treatment.

“In people with persistent asthma and reduced vitamin D levels, therapy with vitamin D3 did not decrease the rate of first treatment failure or exacerbation. These results do not support a strategy of therapeutic vitamin D3 supplementation in sufferers with symptomatic asthma,” says the investigators of that study.

The team engaged in this latest research, however, recommend the opposite, noting that it is “frustrating” that occurrence of asthma is not decreasing when so much is identified about how to treat the condition and decrease its effects on patients’ lives. “Growing vitamin D levels is some factor we can basically do to boost patients’ quality of life.