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Vitamin D Deficiency in Children With Newly Diagnosed Idiopathic Epilepsy
Fatma Mujgan Sonmez1, Ahsen Donmez2, Mehmet Namuslu3
1Department of Child Neurology, Turgut Ozal University, Ankara, Turkey mjgsonmez@yahoo.com.
Insights
This study found that children with newly diagnosed epilepsy have significantly lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH vitamin-D3) compared to healthy children. This vitamin D deficiency was observed across different seasons, suggesting a potential link to epilepsy development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Endocrinology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognized as a potential factor in various neurological conditions.
- Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder affecting children, with idiopathic epilepsy representing a significant proportion of cases.
- Previous research suggests a correlation between low vitamin D levels and epilepsy, but further investigation is warranted.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH vitamin-D3) levels and newly diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy in children.
- To compare vitamin D levels between epileptic children and healthy controls.
- To explore the influence of seasonal variations (daylight hours) on these levels.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study involving 60 newly diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy patients and 101 healthy controls (ages 5-16).
- Measurement of serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, and 25-OH vitamin-D3.
- Categorization of participants into subgroups based on seasonal daylight duration.
- Definition of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/ml) and insufficiency (20-30 ng/ml).
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in age, gender, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, or parathyroid hormone levels between groups.
- Patients with epilepsy exhibited significantly lower 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels (14.07 ± 8.12 ng/ml) compared to healthy controls (23.38 ± 12.80 ng/ml) (p < 0.05).
- This significant difference in 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels persisted when analyzed according to seasonal variations in daylight.
Conclusions:
- Newly diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy in children is associated with significantly lower serum 25-OH vitamin-D3 levels.
- Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the pathophysiology of idiopathic epilepsy.
- Further research is recommended to explore the therapeutic potential of vitamin D supplementation in epilepsy management.
Abstract:
Several studies have shown a link between vitamin D deficiency and epilepsy. This study includes 60 newly diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy patients and 101 healthy controls (between the ages of 5 and 16). Each group was also divided into two subgroups according to seasonal changes in terms of months of longer versus shorter daylight. We retrospectively evaluated the levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, and 25-OH vitamin-D3 in the study participants. Levels below 20 ng/ml were defined as vitamin D deficiency and levels of 20-30 ng/ml as insufficiency. There were no significant differences in age, gender distribution and levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone between the groups. The level of 25-OH vitamin-D3 in the patient group was significantly lower when compared to the control group (p < 0.05) (14.07 ± 8.12 and 23.38 ± 12.80 ng/ml, respectively). This difference also held true when evaluation was made according to seasonal evaluation (12.38 ± 6.53 and 17.64 ± 1.14 in shorter daylight and 18.71 ± 9.87 and 30.82 ± 1.04 in longer daylight).
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