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. 2010 Jun;156(6):948-952.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.12.033. Epub 2010 Mar 16.

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among inner-city African American youth with asthma in Washington, DC

Robert J Freishtat  1 , Sabah F Iqbal  2 , Dinesh K Pillai  3 , Catherine J Klein  4 , Leticia M Ryan  5 , Angela S Benton  6 , Stephen J Teach  5
Affiliations

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among inner-city African American youth with asthma in Washington, DC

Robert J Freishtat et al. J Pediatr. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among urban African-American (AA) youth with asthma compared with control subjects without asthma.

Study design: A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted at an urban pediatric medical center. Total 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency (<30 ng/mL) and deficiency (<20 ng/mL) were assessed in urban self-reported AA patients, aged 6 to 20 years, with (n = 92) and without (n = 21) physician-diagnosed asthma.

Results: Blood samples were available for 85 (92%) cases. The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were significantly greater among cases than control subjects (73/85 [86%] vs 4/21 [19%], adjusted odds ratio = 42 [95% confidence interval: 4.4 to 399] for insufficiency and 46/85 [54%] vs 1/21 [5%], adjusted odds ratio = 20 [95% confidence interval: 1.4 to 272] for deficiency).

Conclusions: Most of this sample of urban AA youth with persistent asthma were vitamin D deficient or insufficient. Given the emerging associations between low vitamin D levels and asthma, strong consideration should be given to routine vitamin D testing in urban AA youth, particularly those with asthma.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histogram of plasma vitamin D levels among urban African American youth with asthma. Of the 85 children represented in this graph, 73 (86%) had insufficient vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL) including 46 (54% of the cohort) with deficient levels (<20 ng/mL).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Seasonal variation in plasma vitamin D levels among urban African American youth with asthma. Seasons in Washington, DC are denoted as winter (December through February), spring (March through May), summer (June through August), and autumn (September through November). Data are presented as medians (black bars) and interquartile ranges (gray boxes).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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