Abstract

Background: The effects of Vitamin D on bone metabolism and calcium homeostasis have
already been well recognized. Emerging evidence has implicated Vitamin D as a critical
regulator of immunity, playing a role in both the innate and cell-mediated immune systems.
Emerging evidence has implicated Vitamin D as a critical regulator of immunity, playing a
role in both the innate and cell-mediated immune systems. Vitamin D deficiency has been
found to be associated with several immune-mediated diseases, susceptibility to infection and
cancer. Further elucidation of the role of Vitamin D in lung development and immune system
function may hold profound implications for the prevention and treatment of asthma.
Objective: To study the Vitamin D Status of children having severe pneumonia and to know
if there is any relation between Vitamin D levels and severe pneumonia.
Methodology: The present prospective study was conducted by the department of Pediatrics
at SCBMCH & SVVPGIP, Cuttack from October 2013 to October 2015 among the children
with the age group of 1 to 5 years of age who were admitted in the department with
complains of Pneumonia. A total of 80 children who were having severe and very severe
pneumonia diagnosed based on WHO ARI (acute respiratory tract infection) criteria admitted
to the SCBMCH & SVVPGIP (General, Pay ward & PICU) in the age group of 1 to 5 years.
Results: In this study, we found that 50% of the children among cases had vitamin D levels
in the deficiency range while 41.3% and in the insufficiency group while we had 8.8% of the
children in the sufficiency group as compared to the healthy controls 20(71.4%) among 28
belongs to sufficient age group, 5(17.9%) to insufficient group and 3(10.7%) to the deficient
group. One significant finding in this study was that out of the 27 children in the sufficiency
group none of them were there in the very severe pneumonia group which suggests as the
Vitamin D levels Increases the severity of the condition decreases.
Conclusion: In this study, we found that Vitamin D levels were related to severity of the
disease as there were no children in the sufficiency group having very severe pneumonia.
Hence we can say as the levels of Vitamin D falls the severity of pneumonia Increases.