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Can vitamin D status be assessed by serum 25OHD in children?

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Abstract

Background

To examine the relationship of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations with serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, body mass index (BMI), and environmental factors in a population of Caucasian children living at latitude 43°N.

Methods

Cross-sectional study on 288 children aged 1 month to 13 years who presented to a pediatric emergency unit during a 21-month period.

Results

Mean (SD) serum 25OHD concentrations were 40.6 (17.6), 30.9 (12.0), and 26.4 (9.9) ng/ml (1 ng/ml = 2.5 nmol/l), in children aged 0–1, 2–5, and ≥ 6 years, respectively. Serum PTH levels were 26.6 (13.6), 24.3 (11.9), and 32.7 (12.1) pg/ml in the same groups. Infants had 25OHD concentrations significantly higher. PTH levels were significantly higher in children aged ≥ 6 years. There was no significant correlation between serum 25OHD and PTH concentrations. Totals of 15.6 % and 2.1 % of children had 25OHD values less than 20 and 10 ng/ml, respectively, but none had elevated serum PTH or clinical manifestations related with vitamin D deficiency. Age (inverse correlation) and season (higher values in summer), but not BMI, sex, and time spent outdoors, influenced serum 25OHD concentrations.

Conclusions

Our results raise doubt on the assumption of only a serum 25OHD threshold as indicative of vitamin D deficiency in children.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the infants and their families for their participation in the study and the pediatricians of the Hospital Universitario Central of Asturias who recruited children for the study. This work was partly presented at the 47th ESPN Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Nephrology.

Funding/support

Partly supported by grant FIS ECO8/00238 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and by the Fundación Nutrición y Crecimiento.

Author contributions

Dra. Alonso had full access to all of the data in the study and took responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Alonso, Rodríguez, Santos. Obtainment of data: Pallavicini, Avello. Analysis and interpretation of data: Alonso, Santos, Pallavicini. Drafting of the manuscript: Alonso, Santos. Critical revision of the manuscript: Santos. Statistical analysis: Martínez-Camblor.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, 33011, Spain

    María Agustina Alonso & Julián Rodríguez

  2. Primary Health Center, Oviedo, Spain

    Zamir Francisco Pallavicini

  3. Laboratory of Medicine, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, 33011, Spain

    Noelia Avello

  4. Oficina de Investigación Biosanitaria (OIB) de Asturias and Universidad Autonoma de Chile, Oviedo, 33011, Spain

    Pablo Martínez-Camblor

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Medical School, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, 33011, Spain

    Fernando Santos

  6. Health Service of the Principality of Asturias (SESPA), Oviedo, 33011, Spain

    María Agustina Alonso, Zamir Francisco Pallavicini, Julián Rodríguez, Noelia Avello, Pablo Martínez-Camblor & Fernando Santos

Authors
  1. María Agustina Alonso
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  2. Zamir Francisco Pallavicini
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  3. Julián Rodríguez
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  4. Noelia Avello
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  6. Fernando Santos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to María Agustina Alonso.

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Alonso, M.A., Pallavicini, Z.F., Rodríguez, J. et al. Can vitamin D status be assessed by serum 25OHD in children?. Pediatr Nephrol 30, 327–332 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-014-2927-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-014-2927-z

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