Abstract

DURA-TRAVE, Teodoro; GALLINAS-VICTORIANO, Fidel; CHUECA GUINDULAIN, María Jesús  and  BERRADE-ZUBIRI, Sara. Vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents with normal nutritional status. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2015, vol.32, n.3, pp.1061-1066. ISSN 1699-5198.  https://dx.doi.org/10.3305/nh.2015.32.3.9316.

Objective: to analyze the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency throughout a natural year in a pediatric population with normal nutrition status. Material and methods: cross sectional clinical and analytical study (calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, calcidiol and parathyroid hormone) in 413 caucasian individuals (aged 3.1 to 15.4 years): 227 school children (96 males and 131 females) and 186 adolescents (94 males and 92 females), all of them in a normal nutrition status, during the year 2014. Vitamin D deficiency was defined according to the United States Endocrine Society guidelines. Results: calcidiol levels were lower during spring (25.96 ± 6.64 ng/ml) and reached its maximum level in summer (35.33 ± 7.51 ng/ml); PTH levels were lower in summer (27.13 ± 7.89 pg/ml) and reached maximum level in autumn (34.73 ± 15.38 pg/ml). Vitamin D deficiency prevalence was 14.3% in summer and 75.3% in spring. PTH levels were compatible with secondary hyperparathyroidism in 8 individuals (1.9%). There was a negative correlation between calcidol and PTH levels (p<0.01). There was not a correlation between body mass index (BMI) and calcidiol. Conclusion: the pediatric population in normal nutrition status shows a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency during the months of autumn and winter and, especially, in spring; the addition of vitamin supplements and/ or an increase in the ingestion of their natural dietary sources should be considered.

Keywords : Vitamin D deficiency; Children; Nutritional status; Adolescents; Calcidiol; Season.

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