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Published on: December 10, 2013
Vitamin D Levels Are Unrelated to the Severity of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis Among Hospitalized
Avraham Beigelman1, Mario Castro2, Toni L Schweiger2
1Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Pediatrics ; and.
Insights
Vitamin D deficiency in infants hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis was not linked to disease severity. This study found no association between infant vitamin D status and hospitalization duration or oxygen saturation levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Vitamin D deficiency in newborns is a known risk factor for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infections.
- Limited research exists on the association between infant vitamin D status and the severity of acute RSV bronchiolitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between vitamin D status in infants and the severity of acute RSV bronchiolitis.
- To determine if vitamin D levels correlate with hospitalization duration, lowest oxygen saturation, and bronchiolitis severity scores.
Main Methods:
- 145 infants under 1 year hospitalized for their first RSV bronchiolitis episode were enrolled.
- Serum 25-OH-VitD levels were measured at enrollment.
- Relationships between vitamin D status and severity indicators (hospitalization duration, lowest oxygen saturation, severity score) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- The median serum 25-OH-VitD level was 36.8 ng/mL; 9.7% of infants had deficient levels (<20 ng/mL).
- Vitamin D-deficient infants were younger and less likely to consume infant formula.
- No significant differences in hospitalization duration, lowest oxygen saturation, or severity scores were found between vitamin D-deficient and non-deficient infants, even after adjustments.
Conclusions:
- Infant vitamin D status at the time of RSV bronchiolitis hospitalization was not associated with indicators of acute disease severity in this cohort.
- Further research may be needed to explore other potential factors influencing RSV bronchiolitis severity.
Background:
Vitamin D deficiency at birth has been reported as a risk factor for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection during the first year of life. Limited data are available on whether an infant's vitamin D status is associated with the severity of acute RSV bronchiolitis.
Methods:
Infants < 1 year of age and hospitalized with their first episode of RSV bronchiolitis were enrolled into the RSV Bronchiolitis in Early Life II cohort. We investigated the relationships between vitamin D status at enrollment and the following indicators of bronchiolitis severity: duration of hospitalization, lowest oxygen saturation measured during hospitalization, and bronchiolitis severity score.
Results:
Among the 145 enrolled infants, the median (quartile 1 [Q1], Q3) serum 25-OH-VitD level was 36.8 (29.8, 42.3) ng/mL, with 14 infants (9.7%) having deficient serum vitamin D levels (25-OH-VitD <20 ng/mL). Vitamin D-deficient infants were younger than infants with 25-OH-VitD ≥ 20 ng/mL (2.8 vs 4.5 months, respectively; P = .04) and were less likely to consume infant's formula (42.9% vs 87.0%, respectively; P < .01). The following indicators of acute bronchiolitis severity did not differ between infants who were vitamin D-deficient and nondeficient: duration of hospitalization (P = .53), lowest oxygen saturation (P = .45), and bronchiolitis severity score (P = .97), even after adjusting for age, and for infant's formula consumption.
Conclusions:
Among this cohort of infants that were hospitalized for RSV bronchiolitis, vitamin D status at the time of bronchiolitis was not associated with indicators of acute bronchiolitis severity.
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