Bronchial asthma and hypovitaminosis D in Saudi children

BACKGROUND: Asthma, a common lung disease in children, is caused by excessive immune responses to environmental antigens. OBJECTIVE: Given the immuno-modulatory properties of vitamin D, the aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and markers of asthma severity. METHODS: This was investigated in a 70 Saudi children with and without asthma and were recruited from the King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over the period of 11 months (May 2011-April 2012). Childhood asthma control test instrument was employed to assess the level of asthma control among asthmatic patients. Anthropometric measurements were taken and interviewer-administrated questionnaire was completed for all study participants. Pulmonary function test was performed by recording changes in the peak expiratory flow. Venous blood samples were withdrawn for measurements of vitamin D, bone profile, cytokines profile (interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, platelets derived growth factor), and atopy markers (IgE and eosinophil count). RESULTS: Hypovitaminosis D is highly prevalent among asthmatic children with highly significant increase in several markers of allergy and asthma severity as compared with healthy control children. Significant correlations between several inflammatory and immunological markers and vitamin D levels were also found. Finally, lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were associated with a higher asthma prevalence in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that hypovitaminosis D is highly prevalent in the whole population in addition to a highly significant increase in several markers of allergy and asthma severity among asthmatic children as compared with healthy control children.

Estimation of insulin resistance in non-diabetic normotensive Saudi adults by QUICKI, HOMA-IR and modified QUICKI: a comparative study

Identification of insulin resistance [IR] in the general population is important for developing strategies to reduce the prevalence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM]. We used the original and a modified version of the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index [QUICKI, M-QUICKI], and the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance [HOMA-IR] to divide non-diabetic normotensive adults into high-[HIR] and low-insulin-resistant [LIR] subgroups to investigate similarities and differences in their characteristics. Three hundred fifty-seven healthy adults aged 18-50 years were recruited randomly from health centers in Jeddah in a cross-sectional study design. Anthropometric and demographic information was taken. Insulin, glucose, lipid profile and free fatty acid were determined in fasting blood samples. M-QUICKI, HOMA-IR and QUICKI were calculated. Reported cut-off points were used to identify HIR subjects, who were then matched for age and sex to others in the study population, resulting in 3 HIR and 3 LIR subgroups. Two hundred nine subjects satisfied the selection criteria. M-QUICKI correlated significantly [P=.01] with HOMA-IR and QUICKI values. Increased adiposity was the common characteristic of the three HIR subgroups. HIR subgroups identified using M-QUICKI [97 subjects] and HOMA [25 subjects], but not QUICKI [135 subjects], had statistically different biochemical characteristics compared to corresponding LIR sub-groups. Adiposity, but not sex, is a risk factor for IR in the studied population. Further studies are needed to choose the most appropriate index for detecting IR in community-based surveys

Dietary macronutrient intake of Saudi males and its relationship to classical coronary risk factors

To investigate whether the dietary intake of energy; macronutrients; and fiber differ between age groups, racial groups and socio-economic classes among males from the Western province of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]. Data were collected from 303 male subjects, aged 15-80 years. They were selected randomly from King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, KSA from October 2001 to November 2003 and grouped according to their age into 3 groups. The subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their demographic characteristics, health history, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Energy and carbohydrates intake fell with age [p<0.05]. Total dietary carbohydrates and fat intake were similar for all groups when expressed as a percentage of energy intake. The percentage energy as protein increased with age [p<0.05]. Mean cholesterol intake was high for all groups, but fell with age group [p<0.0001]. Saturated fat and monounsaturated fat intake, expressed as percentage energy intake were both high, whereas polyunsaturated fat intake was low. The youngest group had the highest percentage energy provided by saturated fatty acid [p<0.001], and the lowest percentage energy as polyunsaturated fatty acid [p<0.05] compared to the other groups. The intake of fibre rose with age was significantly higher in the older group [p<0.05]. Diet consumed by urban dwellers in KSA appears to have resulted in an imbalance of macronutrient intake among all sectors of the population. This problem can only be averted by raising public awareness and the development of appropriate population-specific nutritional guidelines