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[Vitamin D status in children with prolonged hospitalization for chronic respiratory diseases]
María Cecilia Riutort1, Eduardo Muñoz M1, Edson Bustos-Arriagada2
1Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Insights
Children with chronic respiratory diseases hospitalized long-term often have low vitamin D levels. Higher supplementation doses may improve vitamin D status, indicating a need for careful monitoring and adjusted dosages in this vulnerable pediatric population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Nutritional Science
Context:
- Children with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) face elevated risks of vitamin D deficiency.
- Prolonged hospitalization exacerbates this deficiency, with an unknown prevalence in this specific group.
- Understanding vitamin D status is crucial for managing CRD in hospitalized children.
Purpose:
- To assess vitamin D status in children with CRD undergoing prolonged hospitalization.
- To identify risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in this cohort.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of current vitamin D supplementation protocols.
Summary:
- A cross-sectional study of 41 hospitalized children with CRD found 61% had sufficient vitamin D (25(OH)D levels >30 ng/mL).
- Despite 90.2% receiving supplementation (400-800 IU/day), 34.1% showed insufficiency and 4.9% deficiency.
- Higher vitamin D (800 IU/day) intake correlated with better 25(OH)D levels, independent of other factors like sun exposure or neurological disease.
Impact:
- Highlights a significant prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D status in hospitalized children with CRD.
- Suggests current supplementation guidelines may require adjustment for this population.
- Emphasizes the need for regular monitoring and tailored vitamin D dosage adjustments in pediatric CRD patients during extended hospital stays.
Abstract:
Children with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency, which can be aggravated in those hospitalized for prolonged periods, a group with unknown prevalence.
Objective:
to determine the vitamin D status and the risk factors in children with CRD hospitalized for prolonged periods.
Patients And Method:
Cross-sectional study carried out at the Hospital Josefina Martinez from September to December 2012, in children with CRD. We registered demographic and anthropometry data, hospital length of stay, sun exposure, supplementation, and dietary intake of vitamin D. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured in ng/mL, defining as sufficiency (> 30), insufficiency (20-30), and deficiency (< 20).
Results:
41 patients were studied, 56.1% were boys, with a median age of 31 months (range 5 to 146). 51.2% had a neurological disease, 61.0% were eutrophic, and 58.5% had no sun exposure. Most of the patients (90.2%) received vitamin D supplementation: 65.8% received 400 IU/day and 24.4% received 800. The mean concentration of 25(OH)D was 31.02 ± 6.82 ng/mL, therefore, 61% had sufficiency, 34.1% insufficiency, and 4.9% deficiency. Patients receiving 800 IU/day had higher 25(OH)D concentrations than those with lower doses (p = 0.032), showing no association between 25(OH)D and sex, age, nutritional status, motor function, sun exposure, length of stay, or anticonvulsants use.
Conclusion:
This group of children with CRD and prolonged hospitalization had a high prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D status, despite receiving preventive supplementation, thus justifying an adequate monitoring and dosage adjustment.
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