Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for allergic disorders and immune mechanisms

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been reported in very high rates in the U.S. population. Deficiency has been implicated in various diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers. It has also been implicated in several allergic disorders and immune system dysregulation. The National Health and Nutrition examination survey (NHANES) in 2005-2006 was a cross-sectional survey performed in the noninstitutionalized population of the United States by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics. It consists of an extensive interview performed at home and an examination performed at a mobile center. An allergy questionnaire was provided as interview data on self-reported allergic diseases including allergic rhinitis, allergies, and atopic dermatitis. Data were collected using the question, "Has the doctor or other health professional ever told you that you have allergies?" The laboratory parameter of vitamin D < 10 ng/mL was used to define severe VDD. The data were analyzed by logistic regression with SAS Version 9.1 (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC) using the Procedure survey methods. Of 10,348 people who participated in the 2005-2006 NHANES survey, our final sample consisted of 4979 people in whom serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were completed after excluding subjects <20 years of age and those with missing vitamin D values. The VDD was positively correlated with prevalence of allergies. After adjusting the model for age, gender, race, smoking, alcohol, and educational status, the odds ratio still remained significant. There was also a positive correlation with allergy subtypes such as prevalence of rashes, sneezing, and sinus infections with low vitamin D. VDD related to the immune system dysregulation has been extensively reviewed.

Plasma vitamin D and serum total immunoglobulin E levels in patients with seasonal allergic conjunctivitis

“…In a large survey conducted in USA, vitamin D deficiency was found to be positively correlated with prevalence of allergies (Frieri & Valluri 2011). Also there are several case-control studies showing higher rates of vitamin D deficiency among allergic patients than in controls (Ozkara et al 2012;Allen et al 2013).…”

“…Since then, a considerable number of studies had been conducted linking vitamin D deficiency with autoimmune diseases and allergic disorders (Munger et al 2006;Frieri & Valluri 2011;Allen et al 2013).…”

“…This rise in the incidence of allergic diseases is attributed to several factors such as industrialization, lifestyle changes, dietary intake and exposure to environmental factors such as air pollution (Prescott 2013). Also more recently, especially upon the discovery of the regulatory effects of vitamin D on the immune system (Adams & Hewison 2008), variations in vitamin D status have been implicated in the development of allergic diseases (Frieri & Valluri 2011). It has been suggested that vitamin D has a significant role, mainly immunomodulatory, in human physiology beyond skeletal health and calcium homeostasis (Adams & Hewison 2008).…”

“…It has been suggested that vitamin D has a significant role, mainly immunomodulatory, in human physiology beyond skeletal health and calcium homeostasis (Adams & Hewison 2008). Altered vitamin D status has been linked to a diverse group of diseases such as allergies (Frieri & Valluri 2011;Allen et al 2013), cancers (Feskanich et al 2004), autoimmune (Munger et al 2006) and infectious diseases (Cannell et al 2006). Of these, allergic diseases are of particular interest and association of vitamin D with various allergies such as asthma, food allergy and allergic rhinitis has been proposed (Frieri & Valluri 2011;Litonjua 2012;Allen et al 2013).…”

Allergic rhinitis in the elderly: A pilot study of the role of vitamin D

“…Among these cells, mast cells and lymphocytes are particularly key players in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis (15). Previous studies have shown that serum vitamin D levels are inversely related to allergic rhinitis [16,17].…”