Prevalence of food sensitization and helminth infection among primary school children in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Background : Wheezing is a very common complaint on admission to the pediatric emergency department. There is an increasing awareness of the important role of vitamin D (VD) in the maintenance of the immune system, recurrent wheezing and respiratory health. Objective : The study aimed to estimate serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD), IgE levels and blood eosinophilic count in infants and children under 2 years of age with recurrent wheeze. Methods : This case-control study was carried out on 85 infants (58 males and 27 females; as the patients’ group, ranging in age from 6-24 months, diagnosed to have recurrent wheeze (>3 attacks), recruited from the Pediatric Emergency Department in comparison to 85 age and gender matched healthy infants with no history of wheeze (as the control group). Blood samples were taken from both groups to determine serum 25OHD level, IgE level, and eosinophil count. Results : Serum 25OHD levels of patients were significantly lower than those of controls (p = 0.001), whereas serum IgE and eosinophil counts of patients were significantly higher than those of controls (p <0.0001 for both). Serum levels of 25OHD correlated negatively with the number of wheeze attacks and hospitalization. Conclusion : The study findings revealed lower serum 25OHD levels in infants with recurrent wheeze and provides additional evidence supporting the hypothesis that VD has a role in infant wheeze. VD supplementation might be practical and favorable for better control of recurrent infant wheeze. Keywords :Vitamin D, IgE, Infants, Wheeze.