Vitamin D Status in Belgian Children: A Regional Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Endocrinology
• Public Health

Background:

• Vitamin D deficiency is a primary cause of impaired skeletal growth and nutritional rickets in children.
• Assessing vitamin D status is crucial for pediatric skeletal health.
• Understanding prevalence informs public health strategies and supplementation guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the vitamin D status across a broad pediatric age range (0-18 years).
• To identify demographic and seasonal factors influencing vitamin D levels in children.
• To inform current Belgian health recommendations regarding vitamin D supplementation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 14,887 pediatric blood samples collected between 2014 and 2021.
• Categorization of vitamin D levels into severe deficiency (<12 ng/mL), insufficiency (12-20 ng/mL), borderline (20-30 ng/mL), and sufficient (>30 ng/mL).
• Statistical analysis to assess associations with age, gender, and season.

Main Results:

• A significant majority (over 71%) of children exhibited severe deficiency, insufficiency, or borderline vitamin D levels.
• Adolescents (13-18 years) showed the highest prevalence of severe vitamin D deficiency (24.9%).
• Vitamin D levels were significantly higher during summer/autumn compared to winter/spring; no gender association was found.

Conclusions:

• High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency exists in children aged 0-18 years, particularly those over seven.
• Over 80% of the studied children did not meet the recommended vitamin D sufficiency threshold of 30 ng/mL.
• Current Belgian recommendations to cease supplementation at age six warrant re-evaluation given the high prevalence of deficiency.