Cord serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of early childhood transient wheezing and atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence of the effect of maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy on the risk of asthma and allergic outcomes in offspring. However, studies on the relationship between cord levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and asthma and allergic diseases are very few.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the associations between cord serum 25(OH)D levels and asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis in the offspring from birth to 5 years.

METHODS: Cord blood samples were collected at birth and analyzed for 25(OH)D levels in 239 newborns from the Etude des Déterminants pré et post natals du développement et de la santé de l'Enfant (EDEN) birth cohort. The children were followed up until age 5 years by using International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood-based symptom questionnaires.

RESULTS: The median cord serum level of 25(OH)D was 17.8 ng/mL (interquartile range, 15.1 ng/mL). By using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, a significant inverse association was observed between cord serum 25(OH)D levels and risk of transient early wheezing and early- and late-onset atopic dermatitis, as well as atopic dermatitis, by the ages of 1, 2, 3, and 5 years. We found no association between cord serum 25(OH)D levels and asthma and allergic rhinitis at age 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS: Cord serum 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with the risk of transient early wheezing and atopic dermatitis by the age of 5 years, but no association was found with asthma and allergic rhinitis.