Vitamin D and its association with allergic status and serum IgE

Vitamin D exerts multiple immune-regulatory functions on the innate and adaptive immune systems. However, there is conflicting evidence concerning the contribution of vitamin D to the progression of allergies. The goal of this study was to investigate the connection between vitamin D and the prevalence of allergic disorders and serum IgE levels among young adults. The study samples included 272 students (120 males and 152 females) from Birjand University of Medical Sciences in Birjand, Iran. The allergic disorders studied, comprising allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD), were confirmed by an expert allergist. Commercial Elisa kits were used to measure serum levels of vitamin D and total IgE for all participants. The median (IQR) serum vitamin D value was 10.0 (6.0–17.0) ng/mL and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among the target population was 81.5%. Vitamin D levels were notably higher in males than in females [12.0 (8.0–18.0) vs. 8.0 (4.0–15.0); P