Association of Vitamin D Levels and Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Abstract

Objective Vitamin D decreases the risk of chronic illnesses and has been implicated in asthma, allergic rhinitis, and anaphylaxis. We questioned whether vitamin D levels might be associated with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), using a case-control sample. Methods Serum 25(OH)-vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels were measured in African-American (n=65) and Caucasian (n=89) adults with and without CRS, recruited at an urban, tertiary care, academic hospital. Case definition met consensus diagnostic criteria and included endoscopy and imaging, with normal imaging studies in controls. Data were stratified by sex, race, season, and body-mass index (BMI), factors known to affect levels. Results There were no significant differences in 25(OH)D levels between Caucasian cases and controls in either sex, including when analyzed by season. Levels in African-Americans with CRS were significantly lower than controls (males: cases 15.4 ± 2.1 ng/mL, controls 26 ± 2.6, P?0.01; females: cases 13.5 ± 2.0, controls 20.8 ± 2.6, P?0.03). Accounting for season, African-Americans with CRS continued to show significantly lower 25(OH)D levels as compared to controls (winter: males: cases 22.3 ± 3.3 ng/mL, controls, P?0.03; females: cases 8.5 ± 0.96, controls 17.4 ± 2.5, P?0.003), with similar but nonsignificant trends in summer. Demographics were similar across comparisons (age, BMI). Conclusions Our data suggest that low levels of vitamin D may be involved in CRS in African-Americans, a role that is biologically plausible, given its immunologic effects and its putative association with susceptibility to viral infections and other related diseases. Further study of this phenomenon may provide novel hypotheses for the development of CRS.