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HEMATOLOGICAL INDICES RELATED TO VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN OBESE CHILDREN
B Virgolici1, M Mohora1, H M Virgolici1
1"Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
Insights
Obese children often have vitamin D deficiency, impacting red blood cell production. Lower vitamin D levels correlate with lower hemoglobin and higher platelet counts in these children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Hematology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Vitamin D plays a role in erythropoiesis and bone marrow cell differentiation.
- Obesity is a growing concern in pediatric populations, with potential links to various health issues.
Introduction:
Vitamin D is involved in differentiation and induction of erythropoiesis in bone marrow cells.
Aim:
We compared the serum 25(OH) vitamin D level in obese children versus control and found correlations between vitamin D level and hematological indices in obese children.
Materials And Methods:
25 overweight and obese patients and 15 normal weight children were enrolled in an observational study .
Results:
In obese children, the serum level of 25(OH) vitamin D was significantly (p<0.04) lower (20.60 ng/mL) compared with the value from normal weight ones (25.63 ng/mL) and the body fat percentage BFP was higher. We found a positive correlation (r=0.44, p<0.05) between serum vitamin D and hemoglobin level and a negative one between serum vitamin D and the number of platelets (r= -0.43, p<0.05). Also, the serum iron was at the lower normal limit in the obese children and negatively correlated with the percent of the body fat (r= -0,62, p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Obese children have vitamin D deficiency. The hemoglobin level and the number of platelets are correlated with the serum level of 25(OH) vitamin D. Supplements with vitamin D may have pleiotropic effects, including those on bone marrow activity.
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