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Vitamin D status of chronically ill or disabled children in Victoria
1Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. anthea.greenway@wch.org.au
Insights
Vitamin D deficiency is common in chronically ill and disabled children in Melbourne, Australia. Over half the children studied had low vitamin D levels, highlighting a significant public health concern.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Nutritional Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Hypovitaminosis D is a growing concern in pediatric populations.
- Chronic illness and disability can increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency.
- Understanding prevalence in specific Australian pediatric groups is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (low vitamin D) in chronically ill or disabled children in Melbourne, Australia.
- To assess vitamin D status in both inpatient and outpatient pediatric populations.
- To identify potential risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels were measured in chronically ill/disabled children (inpatients and outpatients) at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne.
- Parameters of bone turnover were assessed.
- Data were analyzed to determine prevalence and associated factors.
Main Results:
- 54.9% of the total pediatric population studied exhibited low serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels.
- Vitamin D deficiency (<30 nM/L) and insufficiency (30-50 nM/L) were prevalent in both inpatient (25.4% deficient, 27.1% insufficient) and outpatient (15.4% deficient, 42.3% insufficient) groups.
- Dark skin tone was significantly associated with hypovitaminosis D (P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Hypovitaminosis D is highly prevalent in chronically ill and disabled children in Melbourne.
- Increased awareness and proactive management of vitamin D deficiency are essential for pediatric health prevention.
- Further research into effective supplementation and intervention strategies is warranted.
Objective:
To establish the percentage prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in chronically ill or disabled children in Melbourne, Australia.
Methodology:
A group of inpatients at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, as identified by the primary unit, were sampled to measure serum vitamin D and parameters of bone turnover. A second group of disabled children (outpatients) were also measured to establish vitamin D status.
Results:
Of the total population, 54.9% were found to have low serum 25 hydroxy (25OH) vitamin D levels. Of the inpatient group, 25.4% were vitamin D deficient (<30 nM/L), and 27.1% were vitamin D insufficient (30-50 nM/L). The mean 25OH vitamin D was 52.1 nM/L. Of the outpatient group, 15.4% were vitamin D deficient, whilst 42.3% were found to be insufficient. The mean vitamin D level was 41.2 nM/L. No difference attributable to intellectual versus physical disability was found. Anticonvulsant use and ambulatory status was not predictive of vitamin D status in the children examined. Of the total population, 0.05% were found to have secondary hyperparathyroidism. The mean 25OH vitamin D level of this subgroup was 30.6 nM/L. Dark skin tone was found to be significantly associated with hypovitaminosis D (P = 0.001), where all five children with dark skin tone were found to have serum 25OH vitamin D levels <50 nM/L. Of the seven disabled children (outpatients) found to be iron deficient, four had coexistent hypovitaminosis D.
Conclusion:
The percentage prevalence of hypovitaminosis D is high in both chronically ill, and physically/intellectually disabled children in Melbourne, Australia. Increased vigilance and recognition of this deficiency state is needed as an important health prevention strategy.