Related Experiment Videos

Prophylactic vitamin D in healthy infants: assessing the need

Agustina Alonso1, Julián Rodríguez, Ignacio Carvajal

  • 1Pediatric Primary Care of Health Service of Asturias, Health Service of the Principality of Asturias-SESPA, Spain. maruchialonso@gmail.com

Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
|June 14, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin D supplementation for healthy infants may not be necessary. While prophylaxis increased vitamin D levels, it didn't impact parathyroid hormone or prevent rickets, suggesting negligible clinical relevance.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Science
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Vitamin D deficiency is a concern in infants, particularly breastfed ones.
  • Current recommendations for vitamin D prophylaxis vary, necessitating further evaluation in healthy populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the necessity of vitamin D prophylaxis in healthy, full-term infants.
  • To determine the impact of vitamin D supplementation on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective, randomized study involving 88 healthy 1-month-old infants.
  • Infants were assigned to receive either 402 IU/day of vitamin D or no prophylaxis for one year.
  • Serum 25OHD and PTH concentrations were measured at 3, 6, and 12 months; feeding, sun exposure, and clinical exams were also recorded.

Main Results:

  • Vitamin D prophylaxis significantly increased serum 25OHD levels at 3 and 6 months.
  • Breastfed infants at 3 months without prophylaxis had the lowest 25OHD levels.
  • No significant differences in PTH levels were observed between groups; no clinical signs of rickets were noted.

Conclusions:

  • While vitamin D prophylaxis raises serum 25OHD levels in healthy infants, its clinical significance appears negligible.
  • Serum 25OHD levels naturally increase with age, and prophylaxis did not affect PTH or prevent rickets.
  • Findings suggest that routine vitamin D prophylaxis may not be essential for healthy, full-term infants.

Related Concept Videos

Drug Dosing: Infants and Children01:29

Drug Dosing: Infants and Children

Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis01:23

Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis

The skin plays a crucial role in the synthesis of vitamin D, a vital nutrient for various physiological processes in the body. Vitamin D is unique because it can be synthesized in the skin through a series of chemical reactions triggered by exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from sunlight.
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin D3(cholecalciferol).
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health01:25

Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health

The growth and maintenance of bone are regulated by a combination of nutritional factors, including vitamins, such as vitamin A, B12, C, D, and K.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight, compared...