High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Inner-City African American Youth with Asthma in Washington, DC
Received 22 July 2009; received in revised form 10 November 2009; accepted 17 December 2009. published online 17 March 2010.
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.
aCenter for Genetic Medicine Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
bCenter for Clinical and Community Research, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
cDivision of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
dDivision of Pulmonary Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
eDepartment of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC
fDepartment of Integrative Systems Biology, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC
Reprint requests: Robert J. Freishtat, MD, MPH, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20010.
Funded by grants from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (P20MD000198) and the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health (M01RR020359). Additional funding was provided by the Children's Research Institute of Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
ABSTRACT