Serum vitamin D concentration in children with pneumonia and acute respiratory infections, risk factors for its low level

Abstract

Introduction: While there is extensive literature discussing the link between various respiratory infections and risk factors that contribute to low vitamin D levels, there is still no consensus on this relationship. The aim of this study was to test whether low vitamin D levels are associated with pneumonia and acute respiratory infections (ARI) and to identify risk factors for low vitamin D levels in children with these conditions. Methodology: The study was conducted at the Muratsan Hospital in Yerevan from February to December 2017. It included 140 randomly selected children aged 1 to 5 years, half of whom had pneumonia and the other half had ARI. Based on serum vitamin D levels, the children were further divided into groups with low (52 patients with pneumonia and 38 patients with ARI) and normal vitamin D levels (18 patients with pneumonia and 32 patients with ARI). Factors such as feeding, age, gender, and mother’s education were included as indicators of risk for low vitamin D. Results: The difference between the mean values of vitamin D in groups of children with pneumonia and ARI was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Feeding was positively, and age was negatively associated with the level of vitamin D (p < 0.05). Conclusions: We found that children with pneumonia had a lower vitamin D level. We also found that poor nutrition and the age of the child (1 to 5 years) were risk factors for low vitamin D levels with respiratory infections.