Vitamin D deficiency linked to more severe OSA in pediatric patients
Key takeaways:
- Prior to adjustment, researchers found a link between vitamin D deficiency and four patient characteristics, including high apnea-hypopnea index.
- This relationship continued to be observed following adjustment.
Pediatric patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea and a vitamin D deficiency faced more severe sleep apnea vs. those without this deficiency, according to results published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.
“Our findings demonstrate an inverse association between serum 25(OH)D levels and OSA severity as assessed by the [apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)],” Andrew E. Bluher, MD, of the division of pediatric otolaryngology at Nemours Children’s Hospital, and colleagues wrote.
In a cross-sectional study, Bluher and colleagues assessed 72 pediatric patients (mean age, 6.7 years; 52.8% boys; 50% Black; 48.6% with obesity) undergoing adenotonsillectomy between 2017 and 2022 for severe OSA (mean AHI, 42.8) to determine how vitamin D (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D) deficiency is linked to AHI score.
Within the total cohort, 27 patients (37.5%) had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) level below 20 ng/mL, which researchers deemed as a vitamin D deficiency.
Those with vs. without a vitamin D deficiency had a higher average AHI (46 vs. 35.9), according to the study.
Prior to adjusting for possible modifying variables, researchers found a link between vitamin D deficiency and four patient characteristics: younger age (difference, –5; 95% CI, –7.2 to –2.8), female sex (OR = 4.8; 95% CI, 1.7-12.5), Black race (OR = 4.3; 95% CI, 1.4-14.3) and increased AHI (difference, 13.8; 95% CI, 1.2-26.4).
The study noted that the significant relationship between vitamin D deficiency and AHI continued to be observed following adjustment for “age, sex, race, BMI percentile for age, season and history of asthma.”
Similarly, researchers reported a significant link between serum 25(OH)D level and AHI in an adjusted analysis, with a 0.7 rise (95% CI, 0.04-1.4) in AHI as serum 25(OH)D levels fell by 1 unit.
“Future research is needed to evaluate whether vitamin D deficiency is a predictor of OSA treatment outcomes,” Bluher and colleagues wrote.