Hypovitaminosis D in infants: Evidence that increased intake of vitamin D reduces the incidence of allergic and respiratory disorders.

Abstract

The study assessed the relationship between vitamin D status in infants and the presence of allergic and/or respiratory disorders. The study cohort comprised 81 hospitalized infants presenting at the Pediatric Clinic, University Clinical Center Kragujevac, Serbia, between January 2011 and June 2016. The age of the infants ranged from 29 days to 12 months. All infants received prophylactic doses of vitamin D3 of 400 IU/daily until the end of the first year of life regardless of whether they are fed with adapted infant formula (n=20) or breast milk (n=37) or concurrently both (n=24), up to the 5th month of life. The mean level of plasma 25(OH)D was 29.65ng/mL. Hypovitaminosis D (mean serum level of 25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL) was found in n = 38 infants of which 6 presented with severe vitamin D deficiency (level below 10 ng/mL), 13 presented with vitamin D deficiency (level between 10 and 20 ng/mL) and 19 had vitamin D insufficiency (levels between 20 and 30 ng/mL). The median vitamin D serum level in infants with allergic disease (n = 16) was 32.35 ng/mL and in infants with respiratory disease (n = 65) 28.99 ng/mL. Daily vitamin D3 supplementation with 400 IU in infants until the end of the first year of life is too low to provide optimal defense against respiratory and/or allergic conditions.