Vitamin D and pulmonary function in obese asthmatic children.
Asthma-related morbidity is higher among children with vitamin D deficiency and obesity, morbidities that frequently co-exist among minority children. However, the effect of co-existent obesity and vitamin D deficiency on pulmonary function is poorly understood.



We compared percent-predicted values of pulmonary function across vitamin D categories among 72 obese and 71 normal-weight Hispanic and African-American children with asthma recruited at an urban children's hospital. Serum cytokines associated with Th1 and Th2 inflammation and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) were quantified in fasting serum. 25-OHD levels ≥30 ng/ml were categorized as sufficient, <30 and ≥20 ng/ml as insufficient, and <20 ng/ml as deficient. The role of inflammation was investigated by regression analysis.



Vitamin D deficiency was present in 50% of children and did not differ by obese status. Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (84.5 ± 9.4 vs. 94.8 ± 8.4, P < 0.001), and Functional Residual Capacity (67.5 ± 20.1 vs. 79.3 ± 19, P = 0.01) were lower among vitamin D deficient obese asthmatics than their sufficient counterparts, and Total Lung Capacity was lower than their insufficient counterparts (86.9 ± 14.3 vs. 96.6 ± 10, P = 0.01); similar associations were not observed in normal-weight asthmatics and were not influenced by systemic inflammation. No association between Th1 and Th2 inflammatory measures, vitamin D deficiency, and pulmonary function tests was found.



Vitamin D deficiency was associated with pulmonary function deficits among obese children, but not among normal-weight children with asthma, an association that was independent of Th1 and Th2 serum inflammatory measures. Vitamin D deficiency may be one potential mechanism underlying the obese-asthma phenotype. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:1276-1283. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3415 Bainbridge Ave, Bronx, New York, 10467.
Laura A
LA
Lautenbacher
Department of Medicine, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
Sunit P
SP
Jariwala
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3415 Bainbridge Ave, Bronx, New York, 10467.
Morri E
ME
Markowitz
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3415 Bainbridge Ave, Bronx, New York, 10467.
Deepa
D
Rastogi
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005652:Functional Residual Capacity; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014109:Total Lung Capacity; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*
D016207:Cytokines; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
asthma; obesity; pulmonary function testing; vitamin D deficiency