Vitamin-D deficiency predicts infections in young north Indian children: A secondary data analysis

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 3; p. e0170509
• Main Authors: Chowdhury, Ranadip, Taneja, Sunita, Bhandari, Nita, Sinha, Bireshwar, Upadhyay, Ravi Prakash, Bhan, Maharaj Kishan, Strand, Tor A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 08.03.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Analysis; Anemia; Bacterial infections; Biochemistry; Biology and life sciences; Breast feeding; Child, Preschool; Children; Clinical trials; Cyanocobalamin; Data analysis; Data processing; Deficiency diseases; Diarrhea; Diarrhea - complications; Diarrhea - diagnosis; Dietary Supplements; Ethics; Female; Folic acid; Folic Acid - administration & dosage; Health aspects; Humans; India - epidemiology; Infant; Infections; Infectious diseases; Luminescent Measurements; Male; Maternal & child health; Mathematical models; Medical research; Medicine and health sciences; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition; Odds Ratio; Pediatrics; People and Places; Physical sciences; Pneumonia; Pneumonia - complications; Pneumonia - diagnosis; Research and Analysis Methods; Respiratory Tract Infections - complications; Respiratory Tract Infections - diagnosis; Risk factors; Seasons; Social Class; Studies; Supplementation; Supplements; Underweight; Vitamin B 12 - administration & dosage; Vitamin B12; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D Deficiency - complications; Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology; Vitamin D Deficiency - pathology; Vitamin deficiency; India
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170509

Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between poor vitamin D status and respiratory infections and diarrhea among young children. Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) and diarrhea are among the two most important causes of death in under-5 children. In this paper, we examined the extent to which vitamin-D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) predicts ALRI, clinical pneumonia and diarrhea among 6 to 30 months old children. We used data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of daily folic acid and/or vitamin B12 supplementation for six months in 6 to 30 months old children conducted in Delhi, India. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to examine the associations between vitamin-D deficiency and episodes of ALRI, clinical pneumonia and diarrhea. Of the 960 subjects who had vitamin-D concentrations measured, 331(34.5%) were vitamin-D deficient. We found, after controlling for relevant potential confounders (age, sex, breastfeeding status, wasting, stunting, underweight, anemia status and season), that the risk of ALRI was significantly higher among vitamin-D deficient (OR 1.26; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.55) compared to vitamin-D-replete children in the six months follow-up period. Vitamin-D status was not associated with episodes of diarrhea or clinical pneumonia. Vitamin-D deficiency is common in young children in New Delhi and is associated with a higher risk of ALRI. The role of vitamin D in Indian children needs to be elucidated in further studies.