The Vitamin D–IgE Axis: Cross-Sectional Evidence of an Inverse Association in Tertiary Care Patients

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D is classically linked with calcium homeostasis and skeletal health, but accumulating evidence indicates that vitamin D signalling also participates in innate and adaptive immune regulation. Because Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is central to allergic sensitization, the relationship between circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and total IgE may provide clinically relevant insight into pro-allergic immune balance.

Objective: This study evaluated the association between serum 25(OH)D concentration and total IgE level among patients attending a tertiary care setting.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using 50 complete paired patient records. Serum 25(OH)D and total IgE were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Participants were categorized as vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/mL), insufficient (20-30 ng/mL), or normal (>30 ng/mL). Descriptive statistics summarized biochemical distributions. Pearson correlation assessed the linear association between serum 25(OH)D and IgE, while one-way analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc comparisons evaluated IgE differences across vitamin D categories.

Results: Mean serum IgE was 612.34 kU/L (Standard Deviation [SD], 298.41), and mean serum 25(OH)D was 21.82 ng/mL (SD, 6.94). Vitamin D deficiency was present in 21 patients (42%), insufficiency in 17 (34%), and normal vitamin D status in 12 (24%). Mean IgE levels decreased stepwise across increasing vitamin D categories, from 824.1 kU/L in deficient patients to 630.5 kU/L in insufficient patients and 381.3 kU/L in patients with normal vitamin D status. A moderate-to strong inverse correlation was observed between serum 25(OH)D and IgE (r=-0.681, p<0.001). IgE differed significantly across vitamin D groups (F[2,47]=7.92, p<0.01), with significant post-hoc differences between deficient and normal groups and between insufficient and normal groups.

Conclusion: Lower serum vitamin D status was significantly associated with higher total IgE concentration in this cohort, supporting a potential immunomodulatory link between vitamin D deficiency and IgE-mediated allergic sensitization. Prospective studies with allergic phenotype confirmation and supplementation follow-up are warranted.

Keywords: Vitamin D; 25-Hydroxyvitamin D; Immunoglobulin E; IgE; Allergy; ELISA

Citation

Rehan Uppal M, Saeed U, Uppal R, Saad Uppal M, Zahid Piracha Z. The Vitamin D–IgE Axis: Cross-Sectional Evidence of an Inverse Association in Tertiary Care Patients. WebLog J Immunol. wji.2026.h2907. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22528137