Background: Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has also been linked to comorbidities often present in COPD.
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency was related specifically to airflow limitation or whether vitamin D deficiency was determined by conditions that frequently coexist with COPD: insulin resistance, hypertension, anaemia, obesity and hypercholesterolaemia.
Methods: For this cross-sectional analysis, we included 897 subjects from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Subjects taking vitamin D supplements were excluded. Airflow limitation was defined as FEV1 /FVC < lower limit of normal. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxy vitamin D < 20 ng/mL) and possible determinants.
Results: Vitamin D deficiency was not specific for subjects with airflow limitation. Body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.05, P < 0.03) and obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m(2)) (OR: 1.9, P < 0.002) were significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency in the adjusted multivariate regression analysis. Physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Conclusions: Airflow limitation was not an independent determinant of vitamin D deficiency. The effect of weight loss and increased physical activity on vitamin D levels should be investigated further in intervention studies.
Keywords: Airflow limitation; airway obstruction; cardiovascular disease; comorbidities; physical activity; vitamin D.
© 2015 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.