Investigators examined the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among urban African-American youngsters with asthma compared with their African-American peers without asthma.
Investigators examined the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency among urban African-American youngsters with asthma compared with their African-American peers without asthma. They conducted the study at an urban pediatric medical center in Washington, DC, in 92 asthmatic but otherwise healthy children from 6 to 20 years old who had physician-diagnosed asthma for longer than a year. The control participants were 21 children from 6 to 9 years of age with no history of asthma.
Investigators performed a direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on plasma (from cases) or serum (from control participants) to measure D2 and D3 isoforms of 25-hydroxyvitamin D; they defined insufficiency as less than 30 ng/mL and deficiency as less than 20 ng/mL. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index percentile, and season of sampling, the median vitamin D level of those with asthma was significantly lower than that of the control participants without asthma. Furthermore, the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was significantly greater among cases than controls (86% vs 19%). Investigators observed a similar association for vitamin D deficiency: 54% versus 5% (Freishtat RJ, et al. J Pediatr. 2010;156[6]:948-952).
Commentary
Synthesizing CDC immunization recommendations with Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP
March 27th 2024Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP, provided a review and reminder of the CDC immunization recommendations and schedule during her session at the 45th National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) National Conference on Pediatric Health Care in Denver, Colorado.