Background: Asthma is a common disease in the world and vitamin D (Vit-D) has been associated with the presence and severity of this disease. Objective: To establish the association between levels of Vit-D and IgE response in schoolchildren with asthma living in four cities in Colombia. Methods: Case-control study in 1340 schoolchildren (687 asthmatic and 653 controls) from communities in extreme poverty in Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta, and Montería. Serum concentrations of Vit-D, total IgE, and anti-Dermatophagoides farinae, Periplaneta americana, and Ascaris lumbricoides (AL) specific IgE were measured. Results: Controls reported higher concentrations of Vit-D [61.9 ampersand-flag-changeplusmn; 28.4 ng/mL] than cases [53 ampersand-flag-changeplusmn; 23.3 ng / mL] (p ylt; 0.05). Total IgE was higher in cases (p ylt; 0.05). Only anti-AL IgE showed a clear difference: in controls, optical density was 0.27 ampersand-flag-changeplusmn; 0.25; in cases, 0.22 ampersand-flag-changeplusmn; 0.24 (p ylt; 0.05). Vit-D showed differences between cases and controls in each population. Conclusions: An association could not be demonstrated between Vit-D deficiency and asthma, as total IgE was elevated in patients and controls. The results suggest that Vit-D influences the specif IgE response in poor asthmatic children in areas endemic for helminthiasis.
