Vitamin D in asthma and allergic diseases - a Twitter summary from the 2011 ACAAI meeting

This summary was compiled from the tweets posted by some of the allergists who attended the 2011 ACAAI meeting. The tweets were labeled #ACAAI. The text was edited and modified by me.

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone and a component of a complex endocrine pathway sometimes called 'vitamin D endocrine system' (Medscape, 2012). 9% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D and 61% insufficient.

Multiple small studies link lower serum 25(OH)D3 levels and various markers of asthma including an association with lower FEV1.

A study showed an odds ratio 4.2 for increased asthma risk with vitamin D deficiency (Int Arch of Allergy). Other studies were not as supportive of the vitamin D hypothesis and some even showed worsening asthma with higher vitamin D levels. It could be an interplay of vitamin D and genetic factors.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased asthma morbidity, but there are no high quality studies showing that vitamin D treatment decreases asthma morbidity. There are no long-term studies with vitamin D. The dose and the level to aim for are unknown. The trials are currently ongoing. We need multiple measurements of Vit D (OH)3 over the course of the year and prove reaching of vitamin D sufficiency in the trials.

This summary was compiled from some of the tweets posted by Dr. David Fischer @IgECPD4, Robert Silge, MD, @DrSilge, Danny Ramirez, MD @allergysa, and a few others. The tweets were labeled #ACAAI and they reached more than 10,000 people. I would strongly encourage you to post updates on Twitter from the CME conferences that you are planning to attend in the future. Disclaimer: The text was edited, modified, and added to by me.