Author
 |
ABRAMS, STEVEN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) |
|
COSS-BU, JORGE - Baylor College Of Medicine |
|
Submitted to: Pediatrics
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/2012 Publication Date: 9/1/2012 Citation: Abrams, S.A., Coss-Bu, J.A. 2012. Vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children: A roadmap to interventional research. Pediatrics. 130(3):557-558. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Two studies published this month in Pediatrics provide new and unique information regarding the relationship between vitamin D status and critical illnesses in children admitted to PICUs in the United States and Canada. These two studies, from Boston Children's Hospital and six PICUs in Canada, demonstrated that low vitamin D status, as reflected by a low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) level on admission, was highly prevalent and associated with increased illness severity and generally reflected longer hospital stays and some limited biochemical evidence of lower calcium status. Neither study clearly identifies a level of 25(OH)D associated with worse PICU outcomes, although the level of 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) is generally used as a cutoff level to identify vitamin D deficiency. This value is consistent with the view of the Institute of Medicine that serum 25(OH)D values <50 nmol/L are associated with an adequate vitamin D status. Furthermore, relatively few children seemed to have 25(OH)D levels> 30 nmol/L, a level more commonly associated with clinical signs of rickets or severe vitamin D deficiency. |
