Vitamin D and Serum Immunoglobulin E Levels in Allergic Rhinitis: A Case-control Study from Pakistan.

Journal: Cureus
Published Date:

Abstract

Introduction Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common non-infectious rhinitis and is associated with sneezing, cough, and flu-like symptoms. The exact pathophysiology of AR remains uncertain. The deficiency of vitamin D has been documented as a probable cause of allergic conditions due to its role in immunomodulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of vitamin D deficiency in allergic rhinitis. Methods This case-control study was conducted with 50 patients of AR and 50 healthy individuals. Serum immunoglobulin (Ig) E and vitamin D levels were measured in all study participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS v. 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Mean serum IgE levels in the AR group were 553.5 ± 53.9 IU/L as compared to 219.4 ± 32.1 IU/L in the control group (p <0.0001). AR patients had mean serum vitamin D levels of 14.8 ± 7.4 ng/mL as compared to 19.1 ± 6.6 ng/mL in the control group (p=0.002). Only 10% of participants in the AR group had adequate serum vitamin D levels as compared to 26% in the controls (p=0.08). Conclusion Vitamin D deficiency was present in both study groups. The AR group had significantly lower mean levels of serum vitamin D than the control group. However, upon stratification, the differences were insignificant.

Authors

  • Sheeba F Ansari
    Internal Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, PAK.
  • Mubeen Memon
    Pulmonology, Civil Hospital, Jamshoro, PAK.
  • Naveed Brohi
    Pulmonology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK.
  • Besham Kumar
    Internal Medicine, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK.

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