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Seasonal Variation in Serum 25-hydroxy Vitamin D and its Association with Clinical Morbidity in Healthy Infants from Northern India

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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the seasonal change in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) level in healthy infants and to relate it to common childhood morbidities.

Methods

72 healthy breastfed infants residing in Delhi were enrolled at the end of summer and followed till the end of winter [mean (SD) duration 200 (10) d]. Serum 25-OHD was estimated at baseline and follow-up. Infants were monitored for common childhood diseases.

Results

Mean (SD) serum 25-OHD level was lower at the end of winter (20.7 (8.02) ng/mL) than summer (22.9 (8.70) ng/mL) [mean difference (95% CI) −2.14 ng/mL (−3.36, −1.06), P<0.001). The seasonal distribution of children according to vitamin D status in summer and winter — Deficient (15.3%, 12.5%), Insufficient (19.4%, 30.6%) and Sufficient (65.3%, 56.9%), respectively was comparable P=0.17). The morbidity profile remained unaffected by change in vitamin D status from summer to winter.

Conclusions

Seasonal changes in vitamin D levels do not have significant clinical effect or effect on overall vitamin D status in apparently healthy infants from North India. This may have implications for results of population surveys for vitamin D status, irrespective of the season when they are conducted.

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Funding

Funding: None

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi, 110 095, India

    Ranadeep Ray, Aashima Dabas, Dheeraj Shah & Piyush Gupta

  2. Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi, India

    Rajeev Kumar Malhotra

  3. Department of Endocrinology, University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Dilshad Garden, Delhi, India

    S. V. Madhu

Authors
  1. Ranadeep Ray
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  2. Aashima Dabas
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  3. Dheeraj Shah
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  4. Rajeev Kumar Malhotra
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  5. S. V. Madhu
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  6. Piyush Gupta
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Contributions

Contributors: PG,DS.AD,RD,DS,RKM, study was conceived; SVM: contributed to the study design and writing the proposal for research; RD: data collection was handled; AD, DS, SVM and PG. SVM: data collection was handled, supervised and also supervised the laboratory work”up of vitamin D status; RKM,PG: statistical analysis was carried; AD,RD,PG: literature search was conducted; RD,AD: initial draft of the manuscript was written; PG,DS,SVM,RKM: initial draft of the manuscript was written which was edited and refined by provided critical inputs to the draft manuscript. The manuscript was seen and approved by all authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Piyush Gupta.

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Competing interest: None stated.

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Ray, R., Dabas, A., Shah, D. et al. Seasonal Variation in Serum 25-hydroxy Vitamin D and its Association with Clinical Morbidity in Healthy Infants from Northern India. Indian Pediatr 56, 1020–1024 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-019-1683-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-019-1683-3

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