Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 12; no. 4; p. e7836
• Main Authors: Carakushansky, Mauri, Patel, Priya, Ben Khallouq, Bertha A, Gurnurkar, Shilpa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 26.04.2020; Cureus
• Subjects: African Americans; Body mass index; Diabetes; Endocrinology/Diabetes/Metabolism; Epidemiology/Public Health; Ethnicity; Hemoglobin; Hispanic people; Kidney diseases; Laboratories; Pediatrics; Sociodemographics; Summer; Vitamin D; Vitamin deficiency; United States > US; type 1 diabetes mellitus; vitamin d deficiency; vitamin d insufficiency; sun rich environment
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.7836

Background In the recent years, controversy has emerged regarding the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the potential effects it could have on glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). This study investigates the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency in pediatric patients with T1D from a single, large volume practice. Methods This was a retrospective chart review that collected clinical/demographic data as well as serum 25(OH) D levels from medical records of 395 children between the ages of 3 and 18 years with T1D followed at Nemours Children's Hospital. This data was compared to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. A Pearson's Chi-square test was used between group associations. All statistical tests were two-sided and p < 0.05 was used for statistical significance. Results Of the 395 children included in these analyses, 4% were vitamin D deficient and 60% were vitamin D insufficient. There were no significant associations of vitamin D deficiency based on sex and age. Vitamin D deficiency was more common among White children when compared to Hispanic children and African American children (42% vs 29%; p < 0.001). Of those that were vitamin D insufficient (n = 235), most were Hispanic (51%), 36% White and 13% African American. There was a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.035). In the summer, children were less likely to be vitamin D deficient (3% vs 6% in winter) and less likely to be vitamin D insufficient (55% vs 71% in winter) (p = 0.007). Conclusions Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent among pediatric type 1 diabetics of Central Florida and statistically significant correlation was found between vitamin D status and ethnicity, BMI as well as seasonal variation.