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. 2022 Dec 14;19(24):16768.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416768.

Does BMI Modify the Association between Vitamin D and Pulmonary Function in Children of the Mild Asthma Phenotype?

Maria Michelle Papamichael  1   2 , Catherine Itsiopoulos  1   3 , Charis Katsardis  4 , Dimitris Tsoukalas  2 , Bircan Erbas  5
Affiliations

Does BMI Modify the Association between Vitamin D and Pulmonary Function in Children of the Mild Asthma Phenotype?

Maria Michelle Papamichael et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency and obesity are global health problems that are associated with increased asthma risk in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether BMI modifies pulmonary function across vitamin D tertiles in pediatric asthma patients of the mild asthma phenotype. This cross-sectional study conducted from November 2016-September 2017 compared lung function variability as assessed by spirometry and nitric oxide in exhaled breath (FeNO) among 35 normal-weight and 26 overweight/obese Greek schoolchildren (5-12 years old) with mild asthma. Serum 25 (OH)D levels ≥ 30 ng/mL were defined as 'sufficient', 20-30 ng/mL 'insufficient', and <20 ng/mL 'deficient'. Stratification by BMI category, linear regression showed positive associations between D, % FVC (β = 0.49, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.94), and % FEV1 (β = 0.48, 95%CI: -0.01, 0.95) in the normal-weight only, adjusted for age, sex, regular exercise, and medication. FEV1 was 10% higher in the normal-weight D-sufficient group compared to those D-deficient (β = 10.43, 95%CI: 0.54, 20.32). No associations were observed for the overweight/obese group or FeNO. In conclusion, BMI modified associations of vitamin D on airway mechanics in children of the mild asthma phenotype. Serum 25 (OH)D concentrations ≥ 30 ng/mL were associated with higher ventilation in central airways of normal-weight asthmatic children.

Keywords: BMI; asthma; children; lung function; mild asthma; overweight; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interest to disclose. All co-authors declare that we have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript being submitted. The authors confirm the article is the authors’ original work, has not received prior publication and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

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