Role of Vitamin D [25(OH) D] Deficiency in Development of Pneumonia in Children

Pneumonia is a leading cause of children’s morbidity and mortality worldwide. Some studies have reported that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased incidence of lower respiratory illness requiring hospitalization.
Due to the weather conditions of Guilan province, Iran, in this study, we aimed at determining the relationship between serum level of vitamin D and developing pneumonia in children who were hospitalized due to pneumonia.
In this case-control study, children aged 3 months to 5 years admitted in 17 Shahrivar hospital of Rasht, Iran, with pneumonia were compared with healthy children of the same age as the control group. Serum levels of vitamin D in both groups were measured by chemiluminescence method.
In this study, 40 children aged 3 months to 5 years with pneumonia (19 males and 21 females) and 40 healthy children of the same age (22 males and 18 females) were studied. The mean serum levels of vitamin D in the group with pneumonia and the control group was 26.16 ± 15.2 ng/mL and 30.45 ± 15.69 ng/mL, respectively. The difference between the 2 groups was not significant (t test, P value = 0.218). However, this difference was significant in the age group of 24 to 60 months (t test, P value = 0.015).
In this study, a significant relationship was observed between children’s vitamin D serum levels and development of pneumonia, only at the age of 24 to 60 months, although high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in healthy children (control group) must be considered. The difference in the serum vitamin D levels of children with pneumonia and healthy children in the age group of 24 to 60 months suggest the need for preventive measures of vitamin D deficiency after infancy period.