Vitamin D deficiency and aspergillosis - Aspergillus and Aspergillosis

Submitted by BethBradshaw on 6 November 2017

Thinner skin and less time spent outdoors in older adults limit their ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight, especially at this time of year as we all wrap up warm and spend more time indoors. They are also generally less able to absorb it from food, making them a high risk group for vitamin D deficiency.

Deficiency can cause feelings of weakness or fatigue, as well as general coughs and colds and feeling ‘down’. It can play a role in falls and fractures as it weakens the muscles and bones. Worryingly, lack of vitamin D is also associated with a weak immune system, including an increased risk of respiratory infections such as influenza.

No specific link with aspergillosis has been demonstrated in humans, although one study in mice found that deficient mice infected experimentally with Aspergillus fumigatus were more likely to die and lose weight, while their lungs showed more inflammation and contained a greater mass of fungus. Another study found that when A. fumigatus conidia (spores) were added to a Petri dish containing cells from human airway lining, it prompted them to produce more vitamin D receptors as well as more of an enzyme that converts vitamin D from the inactive to the active form. Vitamin D deficiency has been proposed as a risk factor for ABPA among cystic fibrosis patients.

What can I do?

1) The Department of Health recommends that all adults should consider taking a supplement of 10mcg of vitamin D between September and March/April, or all year round if you usually wear clothes that cover most of your skin while outdoors. People with dark skin, or who spend very little time outdoors with their skin uncovered, should consider taking a supplement all year round.

2) You are eligible for a free flu jab on the NHS if you are over 65 years of age, live in a long-stay care facility or have respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD or emphysema. You are also eligible if you are the main carer for an older or disabled person who relies on you.

3) Include vitamin D-rich foods such as oily fish, liver, egg yolks and fortified cereals in your diet.