Association between vitamin D and ear disease: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a suggested cause and risk factor for various ear diseases. This review assessed the role of vitamin D in ear diseases such as otitis media (OM); this study aimed to assess potential relationships between serum vitamin D level and OM risk; and determined the usefulness of vitamin D supplementation for ear disease prevention and treatment. Material and methods: This systematic review searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database for studies on vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for ear diseases. A total of 55 articles were screened based on their titles. The abstracts were then reviewed to identify the 11 articles analyzed in the present study. Results: Statistical heterogeneity was observed among the 11 studies for subgroup analysis of plasma vitamin D level according to disease type (acute otitis media [AOM], P < 0.00001; chronic otitis media [COM], P = 0.00001) and age (≤ 5 years, P < 0.00001; > 5 years, P < 0.00001). Heterogeneity was also observed in the frequency of participants with sufficient plasma vitamin D levels according to disease type (AOM, P < 0.00001; COM, P = 0.00001) and age (≤ 5 years, P < 0.00001; > 5 years, P = 0.003; I2 = 70%: substantial heterogeneity). Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is common in otolaryngology patients, for which supplementation showed promising results. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with the etiopathology of ear diseases in adults and children. We recommend empirical supplementation of vitamin D in otolaryngology patients and further studies investigating this supplementation.