Vitamin D and its Association with the Severity and / or the Control of Asthma among Adult Iraqi Asthmatics

Background: asthma is one of the common chronic diseases with variable presentations and pathogenetic mechanisms. Vitamin D is thought to influence the expression as well as the severity, control and treatment responses in some asthmatic patients. Aim of study: to examine the possible association between asthma severity and level of control with vitamin D level in a sample of Iraqi adult asthmatics. Method: randomly selected 50 patients with asthma diagnosis were evaluated for medical factors of asthma harshness and control with measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum level (mean age ± SD: 48.5 ± 14.05 years, 30% males, FEV1:1.44 ± 0.63 L, 60 % severe, 60% poorly controlled). Results: most of asthmatic patients (96%) were found to have vitamin D level of less than 30 ng/ml (17.66 ± 7.06 ng/ml) and this was related to severity of airway obstruction (mild: 28.71± 5.52 ng/ml, moderate: 19.9 ± 4.56 ng/ml, severe: 13.81 ± 4.22 ng/ml, p < 0.001) as well as control of asthma (controlled: 27.13±6.12 ng/ml, partly controlled: 20.62±4.21 ng/ml, uncontrolled: 17.66±7.06 ng/ml, p < 0.001). In addition, the 25(OH)D level was significantly associated with history of ER visits and hospitalizations. No significant association between the gender, age, BMI, the presence of allergic rhinitis and the status of vitamin D level. Conclusions: low levels of 25(OH)D were common in this sample of Iraqi adult asthmatics and was most prevalent and severe in those with severe and/ or uncontrolled asthma. This finding supports the hypothesis of possible vitamin D role in asthma.