Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Early childhood wheezing is a heterogeneous condition, which has several phenotypic expressions and a complex relationship with the development of asthma later in life. New studies indicate the prevalence of recurrent wheeze to be associated with Vitamin D deficiency. This has not been explored in Indian settings widely, mandating this exploration. AIM: To determine the severity of Vitamin D deficiency and its association with recurrent wheeze in children less than 3 years of age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive type of non-probability sampling was followed for selection of study subjects with a total sample size to be 122 children in the Hospital setting. A pre- formed, pre- tested, structured interview schedule was used to obtain information. Estimation of 25 (OH) Vitamin D was done using ELISA method. Kit used for estimation was DLD Diagnostika GMBH 25(OH) Vitamin D ELISA from Germany. Standard statistical tools were used including Logistic regression analysis, and ROC curve, p value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. SPSS software version 17.0 was used. RESULTS: Each 10ng/ml decrease in Vitamin D level is associated with 7.25% greater odds of wheezing. Our study also suggests, exclusive breast feeding and delaying of complementary feeding beyond 6 months of age are significant predictors of Vitamin D deficiency and have indirect association with increased incidence of wheezing in children. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of recurrent wheezing.