Serum Vitamin D Level and Severity of Adult Allergic Rhinitis at a Tertiary Hospital in Northeast Nigeria

Context:Recent studies have reported abnormal levels of serum vitamin D in patients with allergic rhinitis. This linkage has not been demonstrated in our environment, northeast Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the levels of serum vitamin D and correlate them with disease severity in patients with allergic rhinitis in a tertiary hospital in northeast Nigeria.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional observational study of patients with allergic rhinitis who attended ear, nose, and throat and the respiratory medicine clinics of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Nigeria, from January 2022 to May 2023. Data collected from participants included demographic information, clinical findings, and disease severity graded as mild-moderate or severe based on the allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma WHO 2008 classification. Serum vitamin D levels were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.Results:The study recruited 61 participants, of whom 39 (63.9%) were women. The mean age (+/- SD) was 38.66 +/- 14.34 years, while the mean serum vitamin D levels (+/- SD) was 36.65 +/- 15.54 ng/ml. Thirteen (21.3%) participants had insufficient serum vitamin D levels below 24 ng/ml, whereas 48 (78.7%) had sufficient serum vitamin D levels of 24-80 ng/ml. There were statistically significant differences between mild and moderate-severe allergic rhinitis with respect to vitamin D level (mean +/- SD, 26.73 +/- 17.96 vs 38.84 +/- 14.24, respectively, 95% CI: -22.06 to -2.16, P = 0.018). There was a significantly positive relationship between serum vitamin D and the severity of allergic rhinitis (chi 2 = 8.839, P = 0.003).Conclusion:The majority of patients had sufficient levels of serum vitamin D. Higher serum vitamin D was associated with higher severity of allergic rhinitis.