Frequency of Vitamin D Deficiency in the Children below Fifteen Admitted To the 523 Hospital, Urmia

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in different societies. It has a role in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, growth and mineralization of bones, prevention of endocrine, allergic, and autoimmune diseases, and therefore it is important to identify its deficiency in the community, especially in children that are at the age of growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vitamin D3 status in children under 15 years of age admitted to Urmia 523 Hospital. 235 children under the age of 15 years of the patients admitted to the laboratory of 523 Urmia Hospital, from April 1 2017 to March 2018, were enrolled in this study. The results of blood tests including vitamin D, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme were collected and the effects of gender, age and season of sampling were investigated. Regarding the level of vitamin D in blood, 75 children (31.9%) had severe deficiency, 54 one (23%) had mild deficiency and 106 one (45.1%) were in normal status. There was no significant difference between the levels of phosphorus in the three groups, but the calcium level in the normal group (10.0±1.1) was significantly higher than two deficiency groups (9.7±0.5 and 9.9 ±0.4). The level of alkaline phosphatase in the severe vitamin D deficiency group was significantly higher than the other two groups. There was no significant difference between male and female patients in terms of vitamin D levels. Considering age groups, the level of vitamin D in the toddler group (0-5 years) was higher than that of the child (5-10) and adolescents (11-15), and there was a significant difference between the two groups. In terms of seasonal difference, the highest level of vitamin D was observed in autumn and its lowest level was observed in spring, and this difference was quite significant. (p<0.05). The results of this study demonstrate high prevalence of mild to severe vitamin D deficiency in children under the age of 15 years. Lower levels of calcium and higher levels of ALP enzyme also indicate the effects of vitamin D deficiencies on the metabolic status and health condition in individuals. The seasonal variation of vitamin D in the study population confirms that the amount of exposure to sunlight has a significant effect on the levels of this vitamin in the blood. Therefore, changing the living style to get more sunlight, along with improving the diet, can play a significant role in promoting community health by preventing nutritional deficiency diseases.