Vitamin D level in children diagnosed with lower respiratory track infection

Acute lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis are the leading cause of death in children younger than 5 years of age worldwide and are the most common reason for hospital admissions in this age group. Risk factors for the development of lower respiratory tract infections include low birth weight, deficient immunization, indoor air pollution, crowdedness, low socioeconomic status, parental smoking, and chronic diseases. The important role of vitamin D in calcium and phosphorus balance and bone metabolism is known, and it also plays a role in immune system regulation. Observational studies in recent years suggest that low vitamin D levels may contribute to an increased risk of many different diseases, including lower respiratory tract infections. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between acute lower respiratory tract infections and vitamin D levels by looking at the vitamin D levels of pediatric patients diagnosed with lower respiratory tract infections. This study included 53 patients, 19 girls and 39 boys, who were diagnosed with lower respiratory tract infections in Çukurova University Medical Faculty Balcalı Hospital Pediatrics Outpatient Clinic and Pediatric Emergency Service. The age range of the patients ranged from 0.1 to 17 years, with a mean age of 4.4±4.6 years. Considering the distribution of disease severity according to vitamin D levels in our study, the distribution of clinical severity in patients with normal vitamin D levels was 33 % mild, 37 % moderate, and 30 % severe. Clinical severity distributions were 60 % mild, 20 % moderate, and 20 % severe in patients with vitamin D levels at the insufficiency level. The distribution of clinical severity in patients with deficiency in vitamin D levels was 18 % mild, 36 % moderate, and 46 % severe. As a result, when the clinical severity distribution of acute lower respiratory tract infection was compared according to vitamin D levels, no statistically significant relationship was found between them. When vitamin D levels were compared according to the severity of the disease, it was found that the mean vitamin D level of the mildly ill group was higher. According to these results, it was concluded that vitamin D supplementation could alleviate the clinical severity of the disease.