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Vitamin D supplementation improved airway function in patients with asthma

Patients with asthma who were treated with vitamin D and asthma controllers had significantly improved airway function after 24 weeks compared with patients treated with asthma controllers alone, according to recent study results.

Researchers studied 130 patients, aged 10 to 50 years, with mild to moderate persistent asthma during a 24-week period in Tehran, Iran. Patients were randomly assigned to intervention (n=64; mean age, 24.4 years; 57.8% females) or control groups (n=66; mean age, 28.64 years; 63.6% females). Asthma controllers (budesonide or budesonide plus formoterol) were given to both cohorts, based on disease stage, and vitamin D supplementation (100,000-U bolus intramuscularly plus 50,000 U orally weekly) also was given to the intervention cohort.

The researchers assessed patients’ BMI, asthma stage, serum total IgE, history of allergic rhinitis, food allergy and urticaria.

Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁), ratio of FEV₁ to forced vital capacity and serum vitamin D measurements were obtained before intervention and at 8 and 24 weeks after therapy.

At 8 weeks, both cohorts had improved FEV₁ (P<.001, intervention group; P=.001, controls), while no significant difference was found between groups at baseline or beyond 8 weeks. The intervention cohort showed significant improvement of FEV₁ in the final 16 weeks of the study, and at 24 weeks, it displayed better FEV₁ compared with controls (P<.001).

“According to our findings, vitamin D supplementation may lead to a better and prolonged response to asthma controllers,” the researchers concluded. “For this purpose, it is better to use vitamin D for at least 24 weeks.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.