Vitamin D Deficiency may increase Risk of chronic rhinosinusitis, reports research

A new study published in the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology revealed that serum 25(OH)D deficiency is an independent risk factor for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), particularly eosinophilic CRS with nasal polyps (ECRSwNP). Combining serum 25(OH)D levels with peripheral eosinophil percentages may serve as a valuable biomarker for eosinophilic CRS with nasal polyps.

It is estimated that 1–4% of the general population in the US develops nasal polyps, which are inflammatory outgrowths of sinonasal tissue. Despite being seen in a number of clinical disorders, like cancer and cystic fibrosis, nasal polyps are most commonly linked to a subtype of chronic rhinosinusitis called chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Numerous endotypes and a high incidence rate characterize chronic rhinosinusitis.

The patients with eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (ECRSwNP and nECRSwNP, respectively) frequently have a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) insufficiency. Thus, Jianqi Wang and colleagues carried out this investigation to investigate the association between serum 25(OH)D levels and CRS risk.

There were a total of 298 healthy controls and 275 CRS patients in this research. After propensity score matching (PSM), logistic regression was used to ascertain the association between serum 25(OH)D levels and CRS risk. A decision-tree model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of different peripheral blood indicators in differentiating between ECRSwNP and nECRSwNP.

Following 1:1 PSM, 189 CRS patients and 189 controls were included in the final analysis. When compared to controls, CRS patients had considerably decreased serum 25(OH)D levels. Serum 25(OH)D levels were lower in ECRSwNP patients than in nECRSwNP patients, and greater in milder CRS patients than in moderate or severe CRS patients (all Ps < 0.05).

Serum 25(OH)D was an independent protective factor for ECRSwNP, but eosinophil percentages and IgE levels were independent risk factors. The ECRSwNP risk was elevated by 25(OH)D insufficiency (OR = 3.074, P = 0.04). ECRSwNP could be predicted with an eosinophil percentage ≥5% and a 25(OH)D level ≥ 61.8 nmol/L, with the test and training set accuracies of 89.7% and 85.7%, respectively. Overall, serum 25(OH)D insufficiency may be an independent risk factor for CRS, particularly ECRSwNP, according to the findings of this study. 

Source:

Wang, J., Jiang, Y., Chen, X., Ma, J., Li, Y., Huang, W., Jiang, Y., Wu, H., Li, X., Wu, X., Huang, Z., Zhang, Y., Chang, L., & Zhang, G. (2025). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and peripheral blood eosinophil percentages as predictive indicators for eosinophilic chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps. European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology: Official Journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS): Affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-025-09263-6