Serum vitamin D status and biochemical parameters of asthmatic children in Sokoto Metropolis, North-western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Asthma is a common chronic disorder of the airways that is complex and characterized by variable and recurring symptoms. It is characterized by the occurrence of bronchial hyper responsiveness, airflow obstruction and an underlying inflammation. Several studies have proposed the association of vitamin D with increased incidence of asthma symptoms.
 Aims and Objectives: This study aimed at determining the serum vitamin D status and biochemical parameters among asthmatic children in Sokoto-Nigeria.
 Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 120 subjects including 80 asthmatic children and 40 age-and sex-matched apparently healthy controls from two tertiary Hospitals in Sokoto Metropolis. Serum vitamin D, calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), immunoglobulin E (IgE) and magnesium were measured using standard techniques.
 Results: Mean serum vitamin D and magnesium were significantly (p ˂ 0.05) lower, while serum PTH and IgE were significantly higher (p˂0.001) in asthmatic children than in controls. Vitamin D insufficiency was found to be prevalent among the asthmatic children. There was no significant relationship between the low level of vitamin D and asthma severity.
 Conclusion: This study observed that, hypovitaminosis D and hypomagnesaemia occurred among asthmatic children, and asthma was more prone in the younger children than in their older counterpart. It is recommended that in order to avoid or limit the rate of children having asthmatic episodes, vitamin D and magnesium supplements should be used in the management of asthmatic children.

Childhood Asthma in Nigeria: A Review of the Burden and Challenges of Management

“…[33] These psychosocial morbidities included social impairment, anxiety, feeling of being a burden and interference with daily activities. [33] Serum Vitamin D, micronutrients levels and bronchial asthma in Nigerian children Nigerian children with bronchial asthma, like their counterparts from other LMICs [34] and even in developed countries, [35] have been reported to have significantly lower serum 25hydroxyvitamin D than their age and sexmatched controls without asthma, [36,37] despite the abundant availability of sunshine in the country. The relatively low serum vitamin D in children with bronchial asthma may also have effects on their cytokine profiles, [38] but was not associated with disease severity and symptoms control.…”