Allergic rhinitis and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level in Korean adults

Abstract Background Recently, it has been suggested that airway hyper-responsiveness, asthma, and atopic dermatitis are associated with a low vitamin D level. Objective To evaluate whether the occurrence of allergic rhinitis (AR) is related to serum vitamin D levels in the general Korean adult population. Methods Data obtained as part of the fourth annual Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009) of 8,012 adults older than 18 years were analyzed. The correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) level and presence of AR using questionnaires on symptoms, history of diagnosis of AR, and rhinoscopic findings were analyzed. All estimates were calculated based on sampling weight. Results Mean age was 44.41 years and men constituted 49.8% of the sample. Participants with diagnosed AR constituted 11.1%. The mean 25(OH)D level of the AR group was lower than that of the non-AR group (16.71 ± 0.30 vs 17.75 ± 0.25 ng/mL, P < .001). A comparison of the prevalence of AR in the 3 groups showed that AR steadily decreased in the higher 25(OH)D groups (13.0% in group I [