Co-relation between childhood asthma and serum vitamin D levels – a cross sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Asthma is a word of Greek origin that means to "breathe hard" or "to pant". One of the first persons to write about asthma was Hippocrates. He was able to recognize the spasmodic nature of the disease and believed its onset to be caused by moisture, occupation and climate. Objective: To evaluate serum Vitamin D levels in children's suffering from asthma. Methodology: It is a cross sectional study was undertaken in children with asthma. Results: out of 110 asthmatics, 28 cases were in the age group of 1-5 years, 49 cases were in the age group 6-12 years, 33 cases were in the age group of 13-18 years and out of 110 asthmatic children 68 cases were male and 32 cases were females,14 children were in the age group of 1-5 years had deficient Vitamin D levels, 10 children's had insufficient levels and 4 children's had sufficient levels of Vitamin D, 28 children were in the age group of 6-12 years had deficient Vitamin D levels, 14 children's had insufficient levels and 7 children's had sufficient levels of Vitamin D, 21 children were in the age group of 13-18 years had deficient Vitamin D levels. Conclusion: There has been a growing interest in the potential role of vitamin D in asthma management, because it might help to reduce upper respiratory infections that can lead to exacerbations of asthma. Several clinical trials have tested whether taking vitamin D as a supplement has an effect on asthma attacks, symptoms, and lung function in children.