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Vitamin D levels in children with COVID-19: a report from Turkey

Aysegul Alpcan1, Serkan Tursun1, Yaşar Kandur1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Kirikkale University, Kirikkale, Turkey.

Epidemiology and Infection
|August 10, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had significantly lower vitamin D levels than healthy children. Vitamin D deficiency was more common in pediatric COVID-19 patients, suggesting a link between low vitamin D and disease severity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Nutritional Immunology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Emerging evidence suggests a correlation between vitamin D status and outcomes in infectious diseases.
  • Vitamin D plays a crucial role in immune system regulation.
  • Previous research indicates potential links between vitamin D and respiratory infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare serum vitamin D levels in pediatric patients diagnosed with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) against a healthy control group.
  • To investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pediatric COVID-19 cases.
  • To explore potential associations between vitamin D levels and demographic or clinical factors in pediatric COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of medical records for hospitalized pediatric patients with COVID-19 between May 25, 2020, and December 24, 2020.
  • Comparison of mean serum vitamin D levels between the COVID-19 patient cohort and a healthy control group.
  • Analysis of the proportion of vitamin D deficiency and its correlation with age, sex, and C-reactive protein levels.

Main Results:

  • Pediatric COVID-19 patients exhibited significantly lower mean serum vitamin D levels compared to the control group (21.5 ± 10.0 vs. 28.0 ± 11.0 IU, P < 0.001).
  • Vitamin D deficiency was significantly more prevalent in the COVID-19 group (44%) than in the control group (17.5%, P < 0.001).
  • Low vitamin D levels were associated with older age (11.6 ± 4.9 years) and a higher proportion of males in the normal vitamin D group.

Conclusions:

  • The study indicates a significant association between lower vitamin D levels and COVID-19 in pediatric patients.
  • A higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was observed in children with COVID-19.
  • Findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be considered for pediatric COVID-19 patients with low serum vitamin D levels.

Keywords:
COVID-19Childrenvitamin D

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