Asthma, allergy and respiratory infections: the vitamin D hypothesis

• Published in: Allergy (Copenhagen) Vol. 67; no. 1; pp. 10 - 17
• Main Authors: Bozzetto, S., Carraro, S., Giordano, G., Boner, A., Baraldi, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2012; Blackwell
• Subjects: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D; Allergies; allergy; Asthma; Asthma - blood; Asthma - immunology; Atopy; Biological and medical sciences; Children; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; Data processing; Dermatology; Development; Dietary supplements; Fetuses; Food hypersensitivity; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Hormones; Humans; Hypersensitivity - blood; Hypersensitivity - immunology; Infection; Lung; Medical sciences; Morbidity; Nutrient deficiency; Pneumology; Prevention; Respiratory diseases; respiratory infection; Respiratory Tract Infections - blood; Respiratory Tract Infections - immunology; Reviews; Risk factors; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D - immunology; Vitamin D Deficiency - complications; Vitamin D receptors; Vitamin deficiency; Vitamins; Lung disease; Allergy; Immunopathology; Respiratory disease; Dermatology; Respiratory system infection; Hypothesis; Asthma; Immunology; Vitamin D; respiratory infection; vitamin D; Bronchus disease; Obstructive pulmonary disease
• ISSN: 0105-4538; 1398-9995
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02711.x

To cite this article: Bozzetto S, Carraro S, Giordano G, Boner A, Baraldi E. Asthma, allergy, and respiratory infections: the vitamin D hypothesis. Allergy 2012; 67: 10–17. The recent discovery that every tissue in the human body has vitamin D receptors and that vitamin D has pleiotropic effects has prompted an increased interest in this hormone. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread and on the increase. There is no consensus on the serum vitamin D levels to consider appropriate for global health, the cutoffs for its deficiency, or the doses to use for its supplementation. Vitamin D seems to correlate closely with host reactions against various respiratory infections. Epidemiological studies have shown that low serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of upper and lower respiratory infections in children and a shortage of vitamin D may contribute to asthmatic patients’ symptoms and morbidity rates. There are studies highlighting associations between childhood asthma, fetal lung and/or immune development, and maternal vitamin D intake. An insufficiency of this vitamin also seems to be implicated in the onset of childhood atopy and food allergies. The hypothesis is that vitamin D could have a central role in these pathological situations and that it may represent a novel preventive and/or therapeutic strategy. This article reviews and discusses published data on the relationship between vitamin D and asthma and allergy, emphasizing the need for controlled, prospective studies on vitamin D supplementation to clarify whether it has a role in the prevention of and treatment for asthma and allergic conditions.