Pneumonia in Egyptian Children 3.6 X more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor

Association of vitamin D receptor gene FokI polymorphism and susceptibility to CAP in Egyptian children: a multicenter study

Pediatric Research (2018) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-018-0149-y

Heba Abouzeid, NourEldin M. Abdelaal, Mohammed A. Abdou, Amira A. A. Mosabah, Mervat T. Zakaria, Mohammed M. Soliman, Ashraf M. Sherif, Mohammed E. Hamed, Attia A. Soliman, Maha A. Noah, Atef M. Khalil, Mohamed S. Hegab, Alsayed Abdel-Aziz, Shaimaa S. A. Elashkar, Rehab M. Nabil, Adel M. Abdou, Ghada M. Al-Akad & Hany A. A. Elbasyouni

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Background

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause of child deaths around the world. Recently, the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene has emerged as a susceptibility gene for CAP.

Objectives

To evaluate the association of the VDR gene Fok I polymorphism with susceptibility to CAP in Egyptian children.

Methods

This was a multicenter case-control study of 300 patients diagnosed with CAP, and 300 well-matched healthy control children. The VDR Fok I (rs2228570) polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), meanwhile serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25D) level was assessed using ELISA method.

Results

The frequencies of the VDR FF genotype and F allele were more common in patients with CAP than in our control group (OR = 3.6; (95% CI: 1.9–6.7) for the FF genotype; P = 0.001) and (OR: 1.8; (95% CI: 1.4–2.3) for the F allele; P = 0.01). Patients carrying the VDR FF genotype had lower serum (25D) level (mean; 14.8 ± 3.6 ng/ml) than Ff genotype (20.6 ± 4.5 ng/ml) and the ff genotype (24.5 ± 3.7 ng/ml); P < 0.01.

Conclusion

The VDR gene Fok I (rs2228570) polymorphism confers susceptibility to CAP in Egyptian children.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of Pediatric Pulmonology and Outpatient Clinics in Zagazig University, Ain-Shams and Cairo University hospitals for their collaboration in sampling as well as our patients who participated in the study.

Author contributions

H.A.Z. submitted the manuscript. M.A.A. designed the study. A.M.K. collected clinical data and coordinated the sample collection (Zagazig University). N.M.A. collected clinical data and coordinated the sample collection (Ain-Shams University). M.M.S. collected clinical data and coordinated the sample collection (Cairo University). M.S.H. and H.A.A.E. performed the statistical analysis. M.A.N. and A.A.S. helped to draft the manuscript. A.M.S., A.A.M., and M.E.H. wrote the manuscript. A.A.A., M.T.Z., and S.S.A.E. critically revised the final version. A.M.A., R.M.N., and G.M.A. performed laboratory analysis and genotyping. All authors read and approved all the manuscript.

Author information

Affiliations

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

Heba Abouzeid, Mohammed A. Abdou, Mohammed E. Hamed, Attia A. Soliman, Maha A. Noah, Atef M. Khalil, Mohamed S. Hegab, Alsayed Abdel-Aziz & Shaimaa S. A. Elashkar

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

NourEldin M. Abdelaal

Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

Amira A. A. Mosabah, Mervat T. Zakaria, Mohammed M. Soliman & Ashraf M. Sherif

Department of Clinical pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

Rehab M. Nabil & Ghada M. Al-Akad

Department of Clinical pathology, Al Azhar Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt

Adel M. Abdou

Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Monufia, Egypt

Hany A. A. Elbasyouni

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heba Abouzeid.