Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In 28 elderly subjects with asthma, given 2000 IU vitamin D per day there was a 20% improvement in asthma scores.

About 13% of the U.S. population is older than 65 years, with an expected doubling by the year 2050 (1). Although 7% of individuals 65 years old and older have asthma (2), very little research has been done on managing asthma in the elderly. As a result, they are more likely to be underdiagnosed, undertreated, and hospitalized when compared to younger asthmatics (1). Asthma cost our healthcare system $56 billion in 2007 (2).

Now a new study (3) suggests that increasing vitamin D levels may be a way to help manage asthma in the elderly. The study involved 28 subjects (16 males, 12 females) aged 65 to 84 who were diagnosed with asthma. They were given 2,000 International Units per day for 12 weeks (no control group was used). Blood samples were drawn before and after the study. Patients completed the Asthma Control Test to grade their asthmatic symptoms through 5 questions on a scale from 1 (severe) to 5 (no symptoms), with values over 19 considered “good asthma control.” Patients also underwent lung testing (spirometry).

After 12 weeks of vitamin D supplementation, vitamin D blood levels increased by an average of 39.9% (24.3 to 34 nanograms/milliliter (p<0.001). Regarding the Asthma Control Test, those with uncontrolled asthma (scores less than 19) had 26.1% lower vitamin D blood levels compared to those with controlled asthma (scores above 19 (19 versus 25.7 ng/mL, p = 0.045)). Finally, the score for patients with uncontrolled asthma increased by 20% (17 to 20.4, p = 0.039), indicating a better ability to control asthma. No significant changes were noted with spirometry before and after the study.

Despite not having a placebo group, the researchers concluded that “the results of our study in elderly asthmatics appear to confirm previous findings about the importance of vitamin D in asthma and may encourage larger studies in this patients group.”

Source: Columbo, Michele, Reynold A. Panettieri, and Albert S. Rohr. “Asthma in the elderly: a study of the role of vitamin D.” Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology 10.1 (2014): 48.

© 2014 Columbo et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted December 18, 2014.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. Hanania NA, King MJ, Braman SS, Saltoun C, Wise RA, Enright P, Falsey AR, Mathur SK, Ramsdell JW, Rogers L, Stempel DA, Lima JJ, Fish JE, Wilson SR, Boyd C, Patel KV, Irvin CG, Yawn BP, Halm EA, Wasserman SI, Sands MF, Ershler WB, Ledford DK: Asthma in the elderly: current understanding and future research needs – a report of a National Institute on Aging (NIA) workshop. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2011, 128:S4–S24
  2. “Asthma in the U.S.” posted on the CDC website
  3. Asthma in the elderly: a study of the role of vitamin D. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 2014 Sep 5;10(1):48. doi: 10.1186/1710-1492-10-48.