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Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Serum vitamin D level in children with bronchiolitis
Thet Su Su Aung1, Myat Myat Khine2
1Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Jalan Batu Hampar, Bukit Baru, Melaka, 75150, Malaysia. dr.thetsusuaung11@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|July 4, 2026
Summary
Low vitamin D levels in infants are linked to more severe acute bronchiolitis. This study in Myanmar found a significant inverse correlation between vitamin D and illness severity, suggesting a potential role for vitamin D in infant respiratory health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Acute bronchiolitis is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants.
- Increasing incidence and severity of bronchiolitis over recent decades suggest contributing factors.
- Low vitamin D levels have been implicated internationally as a risk factor for bronchiolitis severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate serum vitamin D levels in infants hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis in Myanmar.
- To determine the association between vitamin D status and the clinical severity of acute bronchiolitis.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with 75 infants aged 1-12 months.
- Infants were recruited from Yankin Children's Hospital, Myanmar, between August 2022 and July 2023.
- The Wang clinical severity score was used to categorize bronchiolitis severity, alongside serum vitamin D level measurements.
Main Results:
- Severe bronchiolitis was diagnosed in 64% of the study population.
- A statistically significant, moderate inverse correlation was found between serum vitamin D levels and the Wang clinical severity score (P < 0.001).
- Lower vitamin D concentrations were associated with higher clinical severity scores, with each one-point increase linked to a 2.95 nmol/L decrease in vitamin D.
Conclusions:
- Lower serum vitamin D levels are associated with increased clinical severity in infants with acute bronchiolitis.
- The findings suggest a potential role for vitamin D in modulating bronchiolitis severity.
- Limitations include a small sample size, lack of confounder control, and absence of seasonality data, precluding causal inference.
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