Natural history of infants with vitamin D deficiency in Hong Kong

The usual recommended intake of vitamin D for healthy infants is 400 international unit (IU) daily. However, a high dose of vitamin D at 2000-3000 IU daily is needed for those with vitamin D deficiency (VDD). This study aimed to assess the natural history of a group of healthy infants with VDD and the associated factors for persistent VDD.

Healthy infants detected to have VDD (25OHD <25 nmol/L) in a population study were followed, and their demographics and clinical data were collected.

One hundred and thirty-one subjects (boys = 66%) were included. Their first serum 25OHD was taken at a median age of 87.5 days. None were treated with high-dose vitamin D supplements, but some have been given vitamin D at 400 IU daily. They were assessed again at the median age of 252.5 days when 15 remained to have VDD and 26 were in the insufficient range (25 - 49.9nmol/L). All persistent VDD children were on exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding and no vitamin D supplementation were significant risk factors for persistent vitamin D insufficiency (<50nmol/L).

Persistent VDD is common among infants exclusively breastfeeding and those who did not receive vitamin D supplementation.