3189 The Association Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Allergic Diseases in Elementary Schoolchildren

Friday, 16 October 2015
Hall D1 Foyer (Floor 3) (Coex Convention Center)

Hea-Kyoung Yang, MD , Environmental Health Center for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea

Ji Young Lee, MD , Environmental Health Center for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea

Minji Kim, MD , Environmental Health Center for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea

Kangmo Ahn, MD, PhD , Samsung, seoul, South Korea

Jihyun Kim, MD, PhD , Environmental Health Center for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea

Young-Min Kim, PhD , Environmental Health Center for Atopic Diseases, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea

Hye-Young Kim , Department of Pediatrics, Medical Research Institute of Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea

Yong Mean Park, MD, PhD , Dept. of Pediatrics, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

Woo Kyung KIM, MD, PhD , Pediatics, Seoul Paik Hospital/Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

So-Yeon Lee, MD , Department of Pediatrics, Hallym Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, South Korea

Purpose: There are controversies about the relationship between vitamin D and allergic diseases, although there has been growing interest in vitamin D insufficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between concentration of serum vitamin D levels and recent symptoms of allergic diseases in elementary schoolchildren.

Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted in the first grade students from randomly selected 45 elementary schools. The participants of this survey were selected using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design. The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma was obtained through the Korean version of International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. All the children were examined by a pediatrician to determine the presence of eczema in their neck and flexural areas of both arms. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. For categorical analysis by 25(OH)D concentrations, we used cutoffs of <20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L), 20-29 ng/mL (50-70 nmol/L), and ≥ 30 ng/mL (70 nmol/L). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied, adjusting for gender, maternal education levels, allergic diseased of parents, family income and urbanization.

Result: The overall prevalence rates of vitamin D insufficiency (20 to 29 ng/mL) and deficiency (<20 ng/mL) were 64.1% and 18.4%. Vitamin D level was not associated with the symptom of AD, AR, or asthma in the last 12 months (P value = 0.071, 0.976, and 0.757, respectively). Vitamin D level was not related to the presence of treatment for AD, AR, or asthma in the last 12 months (P value = 0.256, 0.794, and 0.703, respectively). In addition, there was no significant association between vitamin D level and the presence of pediatrician-confirmed AD on the day of survey (P value = 0.195).

Conclusion: A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was found in Korean elementary schoolchildren, but vitamin D level was not associated with the recent symptoms of allergic diseases.

Keywords: vitamin D, atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis