The Relationship between Serum Vitamin D Levels with Allergic Rhinitis Incidence and Total Nasal Symptom Score in Allergic Rhinitis Patients

Abstract

Background: There is a correlation between allergies and insufficiency in 25-Hydroxyvitamin D. However, there exists a scarcity of studies that have investigated the measurement of Vitamin D levels association with allergic rhinitis. Objective: To assess the correlation between serum vitamin D levels and the occurrence of allergic rhinitis, as well as the overall nasal symptom score in individuals with allergic rhinitis. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Settings: Department of ENT, Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences, Muzaffarabad Pakistan. Duration: January 2022 to June 2022. Methods: The study included all individuals diagnosed with AR, who received treatment and were monitored. The exclusion criteria employed in this study encompassed several categories. Firstly, pediatric patients were excluded from the analysis. Secondly, patients with insufficient follow-up data were also excluded. Results: There were 34.67% male and 65.33% were female. In age groups, 54.67% were aged 19-39, 25.33% were aged 40-59, 12% were aged 60-70, and 6.67% were over 70. Almost 74.67% had low Vitamin D levels, 20% had normal levels, and 5.33% had high levels. About 17.33% had intermittent symptoms, while the majority (82.67%) had persistent symptoms. In terms of TNSS, 44% had mild symptoms, while 56% had moderate to severe symptoms. Results showed a strong relationship between Vitamin D levels and the severity of nasal symptoms in individuals with allergic rhinitis. The P-value of <0.001 indicates a highly significant difference. Specifically, those with mild allergic rhinitis had notably higher Vitamin D levels (22.42±3.87 ng/ml) compared to those with moderate to severe symptoms (15.31±2.64 ng/ml). Conclusion: In this research, we investigated the connection between vitamin D insufficiency and allergic rhinitis (AR). We detected a meaningful association between vitamin D insufficiency and increased eosinophil counts, while there was no significant correlation with serum IgE levels.