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The role of vitamin D in children with recurrent tonsillopharyngitis
Ismail Yildiz1, Emin Unuvar, Umit Zeybek
1Istanbul Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatrics, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Children with recurrent tonsillitis have lower serum vitamin D levels compared to healthy children. Vitamin D receptor gene variations did not differ between the groups, suggesting vitamin D levels, not receptor genes, may play a role.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Nutritional Immunology
- Genetics
Background:
- Recurrent tonsillopharyngitis etiology in children remains unclear.
- Potential multifactorial causes include nutritional factors.
- Investigating vitamin D's role is crucial for understanding pediatric recurrent tonsillitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in children with recurrent tonsillitis.
- To determine the association between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and recurrent tonsillitis.
- To elucidate the potential role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of recurrent tonsillitis.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study involving 84 children with recurrent tonsillitis and 71 healthy controls (ages 2-10).
- Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels measured by ELISA.
- Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms (Apa1, Taq 1, Fok1) analyzed using PCR.
Main Results:
- Children with recurrent tonsillitis had significantly lower mean serum 25-OH vitamin D levels (142.7 ± 68.1 nmol/L) than controls (192.3 ± 56.1 nmol/L).
- Vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) was observed in 4.7% of the recurrent tonsillitis group, versus 0% in the control group.
- No significant differences in vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms were found between the study and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Lower serum 25-OH vitamin D levels are associated with recurrent tonsillitis in children.
- Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism does not appear to be a significant factor in recurrent tonsillitis.
- Further research into vitamin D supplementation may be warranted for managing recurrent tonsillitis.
Background:
The exact etiology of recurrent tonsillopharyngitis in children is not clear. Recurrent tonsillitis in children has multifactorial etiology like most of the diseases in childhood. In this study, our aim was to determine the potential role of vitamin D in recurrent tonsillitis by measuring serum 25-OH vitamin D levels and determining the vitamin D receptor polymorphism among children with recurrent tonsillitis.
Methods:
Eighty-four children with recurrent tonsillitis and seventy-one healthy children aging between 2 and 10 years were enrolled in this study. Serum 25-OH vitamin D level was measured with ELISA and vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism (Apa1, Taq 1, Fok1) was determined by PCR. Serum 25-OH vitamin D level below 50 nmol/L was accepted as deficiency. The vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism in each group was compared.
Results:
The mean age was 5.6 ± 2.4 and 6.1 ± 2.7 years in study and control group, respectively. The average serum 25-OH vitamin D level was 142.7 ± 68.1 nmol/L in study group and 192.3 ± 56.1 nmol/L in control group. There was significant difference between the groups (p < 0.01). In study group, 4.7% (n = 4) of children had serum 25 OH vitamin D levels below 50 nmol/L. None of the children in control group had serum 25-OH vitamin D level below 50 nmol/L. There was no significant differences in vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms between groups.
Conclusion:
Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels in recurrent tonsillitis group were lower than those in healthy children. But, there was no difference in the incidence of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism between the two groups.
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