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. 2022 Jul 6:9:860628.
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.860628. eCollection 2022.

A Meta-Analysis on Vitamin D Supplementation and Asthma Treatment

Meiqi Liu  1 , Jun Wang  2 , Xinrong Sun  1
Affiliations

A Meta-Analysis on Vitamin D Supplementation and Asthma Treatment

Meiqi Liu et al. Front Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D, as an immunomodulator, may be related to the therapeutic effect of asthma patients, but the research in this area is still controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis was to analyze the role of vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of asthma patients.

Materials and methods: Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) of vitamin D supplementation in asthma were searched in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. Primary outcomes were forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), asthma exacerbations, Asthma Control Test scores (ACT scores), and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO).

Results: A total of 10 RCTs were included, including 1,349 patients. Vitamin D supplementation didn't affect the ACT scores (SMD = 0.04, 95% CI = -0.13 to 0.21, P = 0.87), FEV1 (SMD = 0.04, 95% CI = -0.35 to 0.43, P < 0.01) and FENO (SMD = -0.01, 95% CI = -0.22 to 0.20, P = 0.27), but reduced the rate of asthma exacerbations (RR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.41 to 0.88, P < 0.01), especially in subgroups of children (RR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.30 to 0.70, P = 0.83) and follow up time less than 6 months (RR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.32 to 0.63, P = 0.95). Additionally, though there was only one study included in the subgroup, it significantly enhanced FEV1 at the last visit for patients whose FEV1 baseline value was less than 70% (SMD = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.47 to 1.41).

Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation can reduce asthma exacerbations, especially in children, and within 6 months of follow up time. In addition, vitamin D has a positive effect on improving FEV1 of patients whose FEV1 baseline value is less than 70%, but more RCTs are still needed to support this conclusion.

Systematic review registration: [https://inplasy.com], identifier [10.37766/inplasy20 22.6.0049].

Keywords: FEV1; asthma; asthma exacerbations; children; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Study flow diagram.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Risk of bias summary based on Cochrane Systematic Review Guidelines for each included study included in this review (green for low risk of bias, yellow for unclear risk of bias and red for high risk of bias).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Risk of bias graph review authors judgments about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across various study designs.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Forest plot random effect model for vitamin D supplementation for various outcomes.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Forest plot random effect model for vitamin D supplementation for FEV1 with subgroup by various factors.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Forest plot random effect model for vitamin D supplementation for asthma exacerbations with subgroup by various factors.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Forest plot random effect model of sensitivity analysis for vitamin D supplementation for various outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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