The Correlation Between Vitamin D and Bacterial Diarrhea in Children

Acute diarrhea is the most common gastrointestinal disease among children. Identification of factors involved in the pathogenesis of acute bacterial diarrhea is highly critical. This study was conducted to investigate the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) Vit. D) and acute bacterial diarrhea in children. The present study compared 60 children with acute bacterial diarrhea (the case group) and 60 healthy children (the control group) for serum 25 (OH) Vit. D concentrations. The children age ranged from two months to 12 years. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was measured using ELISA method. Among 60 children with acute bacterial diarrhea, 38 (63.3%) were males and 22 (36.7%) females. In the control group, 31 (51.6%) were males and 29 (48.4%) females (P = 0.26). The median (IQR) of age in case and control groups were 16 (29) and 16 (24) months, respectively (P = 0.75). The mean ± SD of serum 25 (OH) Vit. D levels in case and control groups were 19.3 ± 7.8 and 22.4 ± 7.3 ng/mL, respectively. There was a significant difference between groups regarding the serum 25 (OH) Vit. D concentrations (P = 0.02). This study revealed a significant correlation between serum 25 (OH) Vit. D level and acute bacterial diarrhea. It is likely that vitamin D plays a role in the pathogenesis of diarrhea.