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Table 1 Baseline subject characteristics

From: Impact of two oral doses of 100,000 IU of vitamin D3 in preschoolers with viral-induced asthma: a pilot randomised controlled trial

 

Vitamin D

Placebo

(N = 23)

(N = 24)

Demographics

 Age (years) - mean ± SD

2.9 ± 0.9

2.9 ± 1.2

 Male gender - n (%)

16 (70)

14 (58)

 Caucasian ethnicity - n (%)

12 (52)

16 (67)

 Skin coloura − n (%)

N = 22

N = 22

  1–2

12 (55%)

15 (68%)

  3–6

10 (45%)

7 (32%)

 Family history of asthma - n (%)

7 (30)

10 (42)

 Environmental smoke exposureb − n (%)

9 (39)

6 (25)

 Daycare attendance - n (%)

20 (87)

22 (92)

Asthma morbidity in previous 12 months - median number (25%, 75%)

 Emergency department visits

4 (3, 5)

4 (2.5, 5.5)

 Courses of oral corticosteroids

2 (1, 3)

2 (1, 3)

 Hospital admissions

1 (0, 2)

0 (0, 1)

 School or day-care days missed

10 (4, 15)

6 (3, 10)

Assessment at randomisation

 Persistent symptoms - n (%)

16 (73)

17 (71)

 Multi-trigger asthma - n (%)

13 (57)

13 (54)

 Atopyc - n (%)

12 (52)

12 (50)

 Influenza immunisation - n (%)

3 (13)

3 (13)

 Prescribed asthma controller - n (%)d

  Episodic ICS

2 (9)

2 (8)

  Daily ICS monotherapy

15 (65)

20 (83)

  Daily ICS combination therapye

6 (26)

2 (8)

Dietary status

 Vitamin D intake, IU/day - median (25%, 75%)

182 (125, 425)

238 (162, 270)

 Serum vitamin D < 75 nmol/L - n (%)

15 (68)

13 (54)

  1. ICS inhaled corticosteroids
  2. aAscertained by the 6-point Fitzpatrick’s sun-reactive skin type classification from (1) very light skin to (6) dark skin [33]
  3. bEnvironmental smoke exposure in utero or currently in house or car
  4. cDefined as reported hay fever or eczema on the International study of asthma and allergies in childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire [26], environmental or food allergy, blood eosinophils counts > 0.4/uL
  5. dTwo patients in the intervention group refused recommended treatment (one prescribed episodic ICS was allowed to take no medication and one prescribed daily ICS was allowed to take daily montelukast, both until reassessment or the next exacerbation); they were classified in their respective recommended therapy
  6. eICS in combination with long-acting β2-agonist or montelukast