Vitamin D suppiciency and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence and young adulthood

Abstract

Background. Vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide in all age groups, including children and adolescents, and is associated with adverse health outcomes. Evidence from observational studies indicates that vitamin D deficiency is associated with pathogenetic mechanisms of cardiovascular disease.
 Aim. To assess vitamin D availability and prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in adolescents and young adults.
 Materials and methods. The cross-sectional clinical and laboratory study was carried out including schoolchildren aged 1015 years (319 subjects), of whom 49.2% were girls, mean age 13.31.6 years; young adults aged 1824 years (278 subjects), of whom 77% were girls, mean age 19.91.5 years, living in Arkhangelsk, Russia.
 Results. The median level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D in schoolchildren was 15.7 (12.219.2) ng/ml, in young adults 20.5 (14.926.9) ng/ml. The proportion of study participants with normal 25(OH)D levels (30 ng/ml or more) among schoolchildren was 1.6% and 19.0% among young adults. Both schoolchildren and young adults were found to have a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Proatherogenic metabolic abnormalities were found to be associated with low 25(OH)D levels.
 Conclusion. The results obtained point to the necessity of implementing measures to prevent vitamin D deficiency in the groups indicated in the national program "Vitamin D Deficiency in Children and Adolescents in the Russian Federation: Modern Approaches to Correction".