REVIEWS  PNEUMOLAB PROCEEDINGS 10 Free access

Minerva Medica 2016 June;107(3 Suppl 1):12-9

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

The immunobiological and clinical role of vitamin D in obstructive lung diseases

Paolo SOLIDORO ¹, Michela BELLOCCHIA ¹, Fabrizio FACCHINI ² ✉

¹ Pulmonary Medicine Unit, Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Città della Salute e della Scienza University Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; ² Pulmonary Medicine Unit, Vittorio Veneto Hospital, Treviso, Italy

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which is obtained by conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin by UV ray and by diet. Its role on bone mineralization has been known for over two hundred years, while its non-skeletal effects have been acknowledged only in the last few years. The discovery of important vitamin D properties on the innate and adaptive immune system created a lot of interest in a potential role of vitamin D on diseases characterized by heightened inflammation and oxidative response, and impaired antimicrobial response, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recent studies have demonstrated that vitamin D and its deficiency have a number of biological effects which are potentially important in altering the pathogenesis and severity of both asthma and COPD. Vitamin D may improve lung function and response to steroids therapy, reduce airway remodeling and disease exacerbations. The aim of this study is to review the role of Vitamin D in asthma and COPD.