The Role of Vitamin D in Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Children.

Abstract

Aim: To determine the prevalence of Vitamin D (VD) deficiency in children with Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE) compared to controls and to analyse the relationship between VD status and EoE treatment outcomes.

Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study. Children with EoE who had available VD data at the time of EoE diagnosis were included in the study group. Age- and sex-matched controls were sourced from endoscopic records of children without EoE. The prevalence of VD deficiency in the two groups was calculated and compared using three cut-off values for deficiency (< 50, < 75 and < 100 nmol/L). The study also examined the correlation between VD levels at diagnosis and EoE treatment response, and the relationship between EoE treatment and follow-up VD levels.

Results: Our study showed no significant difference in the mean VD levels between the EoE (n = 106) and control (n = 212) groups. Among VD-deficient patients with EoE (< 50 nmol/L), higher VD levels were significantly correlated with a lower number of eosinophils per high power field (R = 0.58, p = 0.028) post-treatment of EoE. Moreover, post-treatment patients with EoE (not on VD supplementation) had improved VD levels compared to levels at diagnosis (p = 0.049).

Conclusions: In this study, higher VD levels were associated with a greater reduction in eosinophil count with treatment in VD-deficient patients with EoE. This finding raises the possibility of a beneficial role for VD supplementation in improving treatment outcomes in VD-deficient patients with EoE. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these observations.