Investigation of nutritional status and vitamin and mineral levels of infants with down syndrome

Objective: In our study, it was aimed to show the relationship between the nutritional habits of healthy infants and infants with Down syndrome and their blood vitamin and mineral levels. Material and Method: Our study included 53 children who have Down syndrome, and healthy children of similar age and gender without any additional disease. A face-to-face questionnaire was applied to the families of all participants, questioning the demographic data and nutritional habits of the mother/child. In addition, 5 ml blood samples were taken from all participants and hemogram (White blood cell hematocrit, hemoglobin, platelet and MCV), vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin D3, ferritin, iron, total iron binding capacity, selenium and zinc values were studied from this sample. Results: It was observed that there was no difference between Down syndrome patients and healthy controls in terms of age and birth weight (p>0.05). The number of siblings and the age of the mother and father were found to be significantly higher in the group with Down syndrome compared to the healthy controls (p=0.001). The body weight percentile of the children in the Down syndrome group was higher than the other group, and the head circumference measurements were lower than the healthy controls (p=0.049 and p=0.002, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of other body measurements (p>0.05). The mean zinc levels of healthy controls were found to be significantly higher than those of patients with Down syndrome (p=0.017). It was observed that there was no difference between the two groups in terms of vitamin B12, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, vitamin D3 and selenium levels (p>0.05). Folate and iron levels were found to be higher in patients with Down syndrome than in healthy controls (p=0.042). It was determined that the selenium levels of children fed with breast milk and supplementary food between the second six months of age were low (p=0.017). No correlation was found between dietary habits and selenium levels in the first 6 months (p=0.079). It was determined that there was no significant relationship between the nutritional habits and demographic data of children and mothers, and selenium and zinc levels (p>0.05). Conclusion: As a result of our study, it was determined that there was no relationship between the nutritional habits of children with Down syndrome and their vitamin and mineral levels. The differences in vitamin and mineral levels observed between healthy infants and infants with Down syndrome were thought to be due to the changes observed in metabolism. However, it is recommended to be aware of trace element and vitamin irregularities observed in these children and to intervene earlier in case of any deficiency. Key Words: Down syndrome, Nutritional habits, Selenium, Zinc