European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Study title:  A retrospective study on impact of covid pandemic on vitamin D levels in children aged 6 months to 12 yearsin post covid era
Aims: To determine the severity of deficiency and the presenting features
Introduction: Vitamin D insufficiency affects almost 50% of the population worldwide. An estimated 1 billion people worldwide, across all ethnicities and age groups, have a vitamin D deficiency (VDD). This pandemic of hypovitaminosis D can mainly be attributed to lifestyle and environmental factors that reduce exposure to sunlight, which is required for ultraviolet-B (UVB)-induced vitamin D production in the skin. The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency is a particularly important public health issue because hypovitaminosis D is an independent risk factor for total mortality in the general population. Many health care providers have increased their recommendations for vitamin D supplementation to at least 1000 IU.
 
Methodology: this study was done over a span of 10 months from September 2021 to July 2022
This was a retrospective descriptive study in which data were recorded for all patients aged from 6 months to 12 years of age with features suggestive of vitamin D deficiency seen in Dr DY Patil Medical College and Hospital, Pune for a period of 10 months
The Health Research and ethics committee of Dr DY Patil Medical College and Hospital, Pune approved the study and waived the requirement for the informed consent. A total of 69 patients were included in this study.
Results: 69 patients were included in the study out of which 39 were males { 56.52%} and 30 were females { 43.48%} . the main presenting feature was bowing of legs { 31.9%} followed by difficulty in walking in 15.9%
Out of 69 children 53 had severe deficiency, 13 had mild to moderate deficiency and 3 had optimum levels of vitamin D.
28 children belonged to the age group of 1-5 years followed by 18 children in age group of 5-10 years and 11 children in age group less than 1 year and 10-15 years
Out of the entire study group 56 children had bony deformities and 13 had neurodevelopmental presentation
Conclusion:  the above results emphasise the fact that due to covid most of the children were restricted to stay indoors for several months leading to vitamin D deficiency in them. it also emphasis the fact that regular screening of children should be done with respect to vitamin D levels and also other micronutrients and children should be encouraged to have some amount of sun exposure to get natural supplementation of vitamin D and also be supplemented at desired intervals so that they adequate amount of vitamin D levels.