Vitamin D deficiency is associated with impaired disease control in asthma-COPD overlap syndrome patients

• Published in: International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Vol. 10; no. Issue 1; pp. 2017 - 2025
• Main Authors: Odler, Balázs, Ivancsó, István, Somogyi, Vivien, Benke, Kálmán, Tamási, Lilla, Gálffy, Gabriella, Szalay, Balázs, Müller, Veronika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01-01-2015; Dove Medical Press Ltd; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Airway management; Asthma; Asthma - physiopathology; Body mass index; Care and treatment; Case-Control Studies; Chronic illnesses; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Complications and side effects; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume - physiology; Humans; Laboratories; Lung diseases; Lung diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Original Research; Patients; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Quality of Life; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Software; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology; Vitamin deficiency; Womens health; Hungary; United States > US; Europe; ACOS; obstructive lung disease; CAT
• ISSN: 1178-2005; 1176-9106; 1178-2005
• DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S91654

The association between vitamin D and clinical parameters in obstructive lung diseases (OLDs), including COPD and bronchial asthma, was previously investigated. As asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) is a new clinical entity, the prevalence of vitamin D levels in ACOS is unknown.
Our aim was to assess the levels of circulating vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]) in different OLDs, including ACOS patients, and its correlation with clinical parameters.
A total of 106 men and women (control, n=21; asthma, n=44; COPD, n=21; and ACOS, n=20) were involved in the study. All patients underwent detailed clinical examinations; disease control and severity was assessed by disease-specific questionnaires (COPD assessment test, asthma control test, and modified Medical Research Council); furthermore, 25(OH)D levels were measured in all patients.
The 25(OH)D level was significantly lower in ACOS and COPD groups compared to asthma group (16.86±1.79 ng/mL and 14.27±1.88 ng/mL vs 25.66±1.91 ng/mL). A positive correlation was found between 25(OH)D level and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (r=0.4433; P<0.0001), forced vital capacity (FVC) (r=0.3741; P=0.0004), forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of FVC (r=0.4179; P<0.0001), and peak expiratory flow (r=0.4846; P<0.0001) in OLD patient groups. Asthma control test total scores and the 25(OH)D level showed a positive correlation in the ACOS (r=0.4761; P=0.0339) but not in the asthma group. Higher COPD assessment test total scores correlated with decreased 25(OH)D in ACOS (r=-0.4446; P=0.0495); however, this was not observed in the COPD group.
Vitamin D deficiency is present in ACOS patients and circulating 25(OH)D level may affect disease control and severity.