E-ISSN 2651-3455 (Online) | ISSN 2630-5593 (Print)
The Anatolian Journal of Family Medicine Vitamin D Status and Asthma Flare-ups in Children: A Non-systematic Review [anatol j fm]
anatol j fm. 2019; 2(3): 83-90 | DOI: 10.5505/anatoljfm.2019.48030

Vitamin D Status and Asthma Flare-ups in Children: A Non-systematic Review

Samuel Nkachukwu Uwaezuoke, Adaeze C Ayuk
Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Nigeria

Several non-calcemic actions of vitamin D are well-documented in the literature. Its role in childhood asthma is now an area of on-going research. Studies indicate that the severity of childhood asthma is directly correlated with reduced serum vitamin D levels. This non-systematic review aims to discuss the association of vitamin D status with asthma flare-ups in children. We searched the PubMed database for articles that met the objective of this review. Vitamin D may play a vital role in lung health by inhibiting inflammation, partly by maintaining the regulatory T cells, and by direct induction of innate antimicrobial mechanisms. Vitamin D also inhibits adaptive immunity by delaying the proliferation of T-helper cells. For instance, the neutrophilic asthma phenotype is characterized by neutrophilic inflammation, whose induction is mediated by type 2 T-helper cells. Thus, vitamin D is related to the pathogenesis of asthma based on its ability to block the proliferation of T-helper cells. Predictably, hypovitaminosis D is associated with florid asthma symptoms, asthma flare-ups, decreased lung function, and increased drug usage, as well as severe disease. Several reports have shown a strong relationship between wheezing symptoms/asthma severity in children and low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. These findings support the use of vitamin D3 supplementation as a potential strategy for reducing disease flare-ups in children.

Keywords: Adaptive immunity, asthma, child, regulatory T-lymphocytes, helper T-cells, vitamin D deficiency

Samuel Nkachukwu Uwaezuoke, Adaeze C Ayuk. Vitamin D Status and Asthma Flare-ups in Children: A Non-systematic Review. anatol j fm. 2019; 2(3): 83-90

Corresponding Author: Samuel Nkachukwu Uwaezuoke, Nigeria
Manuscript Language: English
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