| Despite the classic role of Vitamin D in skeletal health, new aspects of Vitamin D have been
discovered in tissues and organs other than bones. Epidemiological and observational
studies demonstrate a link between Vitamin D deficiency and risk of developing
respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and
tuberculosis (TB). To review the literature, we searched the terms “Vitamin D” (using the
set operator) and “asthma,” “COPD” and “TB” in electronic databases, including PubMed/
MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar until July 2015. Non‑English articles or articles with
unavailable full text were excluded. Both in vivo and in vitro studies were included. All the
reviewed articles state that Vitamin D deficiency is very common among patients with
respiratory diseases. The present data regarding Vitamin D and asthma is still controversial,
but data about COPD and TB are more encouraging. The relevant studies have been
conducted in different populations therefore it is not particularly possible to compare the
data due to genetic variations. In order to point out a role for Vitamin D, large clinical trials
with Vitamin D deficient subjects and sufficient Vitamin D supplementation are needed. |