Low vitamin D levels Associated with more asthma symptoms and Medication Use
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According to researches at National Jewish Heath; low levels of vitamin D are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma.
According to study asthmatic children who had low levels of vitamin D were more prone to have allergic reaction, had poorer lung function and used more medication. According to Dr.Searing (one of the member of this study) suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help reverse steroid resistance in asthmatic children and reduce the effective dose of steroids needed for patients.
Researcher found that patients who have low vitamin D had generally had higher levels of IgE (marker of allergy). Low vitamin D also correlated with low FEV1, the amount of air a person can exhale in one second, and lower FEV1/FVC, measure of lung function. Use of inhaled steroids, oral and long-acting beta agonist were all higher in patients low in vitamin D.
It could be that lower vitamin D levels contribute to increasing asthma severity, which requires more corticosteroid therapy. Vitamin D directly affects steroid activity, and that low levels of vitamin D male the steroid less effective, thus requiring more medication for the same effect.
“Our work suggests that vitamin D enhances the anti-inflammatory function of corticosteroids, said Dr.leung. “If future studies confirm these findings vitamin D may help asthma patients achieve better control of their respiratory symptoms with less medication.
Source: National Jewish Medical and Research Center.
Filed Under: Research
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