Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Bronchial Thermoplasty: A Novel Therapeutic Approach to Severe Asthma
Published on: November 4, 2010
Efficacy of high-dose vitamin D in pediatric asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Supichaya Pojsupap1, Klevis Iliriani, Tatiana Zorub Assis Loreto Sampaio
1Division of Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario , Ottawa , Canada .
Insights
High-dose vitamin D supplementation may reduce asthma exacerbations in children. Further large, well-designed trials are needed to confirm these findings on vitamin D and respiratory health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Nutritional Immunology
- Clinical Trial Methodology
Background:
- Observational studies suggest a link between vitamin D levels and asthma outcomes.
- The efficacy of vitamin D supplementation for improving lung function, symptoms, and exacerbations in pediatric asthma is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review pediatric clinical trials on the role of vitamin D in asthma-related respiratory outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases up to January 2014 without date or language restrictions.
- Included clinical trials administering at least 500 IU of vitamin D daily, reporting asthma-related respiratory outcomes.
- Two independent reviewers assessed eligibility, extracted data, and verified information.
Main Results:
- Five studies met eligibility criteria; median trial size was 48 participants.
- Average daily cholecalciferol doses ranged from 500 to 2000 IU/day.
- Meta-analysis indicated a significant reduction in asthma exacerbations (RR 0.41, CI 0.27-0.63) with vitamin D therapy.
Conclusions:
- Meta-analysis for pulmonary function and symptom scores was not possible due to data variability and missing information.
- Adverse events related to vitamin D were not reported in most studies.
- Current evidence suggests high-dose vitamin D may prevent asthma exacerbations, warranting confirmation in larger trials.
Context:
Observational studies have suggested a relationship between vitamin D status and asthma-related respiratory outcomes. The benefit of vitamin D supplementation for pulmonary function, symptoms and exacerbations is not well established.
Objective:
To systematically review paediatric clinical trials investigating the role of vitamin D on asthma-related respiratory outcomes.
Data Sources:
MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL were searched until January 2014. No date or language restrictions.
Study Selection:
Clinical trials reporting asthma-related respiratory outcomes following vitamin D administration at a dose equal or greater than 500 IU per day were included and reviewed independently by two authors for full systematic review eligibility.
Data Extraction:
Two reviewers independently extracted and verified pre-defined data fields.
Results:
We identified five studies that met study eligibility and assessed final data synthesis. The median trial size was 48 participants (range 17-430) and the average daily dose of cholecalciferol ranged from 500 to 2000 IU/day. Overall study methodological quality was high, but some heterogeneity in population and vitamin D dosing regimen was evident. Meta-analysis suggested a statistically significant reduction (RR 0.41, CI 0.27-0.63) in asthma exacerbation with vitamin D therapy.
Limitations:
Due to variability in outcome selection and missing data, it was not possible to perform meta-analysis for pulmonary function testing and asthma symptom scores. Vitamin D-related adverse events were not considered in four of five papers.
Conclusions:
Available evidence from this systematic review suggests that high dose vitamin D may prevent asthma exacerbation. This should be confirmed through larger well-designed randomised controlled trials.
