Vitamin D Deficiency and Respiratory Infections

ANTALYA, Turkey—New Turkish research found newborns with subclinical vitamin D deficiency may have an increased risk of suffering from acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) (Eu J Clin Nutr. 2009;63:473-77). The study group consisted of 25 newborns with ALRI who were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit and their mothers. Controls were 15 healthy newborns of the same age as the study group and their mothers. The two groups were similar in gestational week, birth weight, birth height, head circumference, age and gender. The mean of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations in the study group newborns were lower than those of the control group (9.128.88ng/ml and 16.3313.42 ng/ml, respectively) (P=0.011). Also, mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations in the mothers of the study group were lower than those in the mothers of the control group (13.3816.81 ng/ml and 22.7916.93 ng/ml respectively) (P=0.012). In 87.5 percent of all newborns and 67.5 percent of all mothers, serum 25(OH)D concentrations were lower than 20 ng/ml. The 25(OH)D concentrations of newborns were highly correlated with mothers' serum 25(OH)D concentrations.

The strong positive correlation between newborns' and mothers' 25(OH)D concentrations shows that adequate vitamin D supplementation of mothers should be emphasized during pregnancy especially in winter months.