A Study on Serum Vitamin D Level in Patients Suffering from Various Pulmonary Disorders

Abstract

Vitamin D is a critical nutrient for human health. However, our environment, lifestyle and genetic makeup can significantly impact the efficacy of vitamin D production in the body. Unfortunately, our diets do not provide us with sufficient vitamin D, leading to a variety of health issues. Vitamin D also has a pivotal role in the development of pulmonary diseases. Hence this study was done to estimate vitamin D levels in patients suffering from various pulmonary disorders. This is a cross-sectional type of study conducted at a tertiary care centre with a sample size of 160 consisting of 80 cases of respiratory diseases with 80 apparently healthy attendees for a period of 1 year. We found that vitamin D levels were deficient (16.95ng/ ml) in pulmonary disease patients as compared to their apparently healthy attendees(20.69). Patients with infective aetiology i.e., Tuberculosis, community-acquired pneumonia, and bronchiectasis had a much lower value of vitamin D (10.72 ng/ml) as compared to other patients with noninfective aetiology (19.43 ng/ml). Our study shows an inverse relationship between blood vitamin D levels and Body Mass Index and found direct association with occupation and smoking history. However, no link was discovered with gender or geography. This study’s findings add to the growing body of information on the factors related to vitamin D status.