PREVALENCE OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN IRON DEFICIENT AND NORMAL CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 24 MONTHS
Saba Laila Aslam, Muhammad Fareeduddin, Syed Uzair Mahmood and Erum Choudry*
ABSTRACT
Objective: To elucidate the potential association between iron status and vitamin D levels in infants. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on patients who presented in Consultant Clinics, Department of Pediatrics, The Indus Hospital, Karachi from 1st November 2015 till 31st April 2016. Medical records of infants aged three to 24 months were analyzed retrospectively. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: A total of 87 patients were enrolled in the study, out of which 47 (54%) patients had iron deficiency anemia, 23 (26.4%) had iron deficiency and 17 (19.5%) had no anemia. Out of 87 patients, 43 (49.4%) had vitamin D deficiency, 8 (9.2%) were vitamin D insufficient and 36 (41.4%) were vitamin D sufficient. Iron deficient anemic patients had significantly higher proportion of vitamin D deficiency as compared to iron deficient and normal patients (57.4% vs 47% and 29.4% respectively. Significant difference in median hemoglobin was found between vitamin D deficient patients and vitamin D insufficient patients. P-value of <0.05 was considered as significant. Conclusion: Iron-deficient children are more prone to vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, every child with IDA should also be evaluated for vitamin D deficiency. Educational efforts are needed to increase compliance with iron and vitamin D supplementation guidelines.
Keywords: Iron deficiency anemia, Vitamin D deficiency, 25(OH)D.
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