International

Renal Anaemia in the news

Rates of vitamin D deficiency increasing among children with kidney disease

• 03 March 2009
• Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vitamin D deficiency is "rampant" among children with chronic kidney disease, and the prevalence of severe deficiency has increased over the last two decades, new research shows.

The researchers conclude that their findings support the pediatric Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) guideline for the measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in children with chronic kidney disease, "to reduce the effects of vitamin D deficiency as an important component of their renal osteodystrophy, now termed CKD-mineral and bone disorder."

As reported in the March issue of Pediatrics, Dr. Craig B. Langman and colleagues at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago examined the extent of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in children with chronic kidney disease before and after the KDOQI guidelines were put into place.

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, defined as 25(OH)D levels < 15 ng/mL, ranged from 20% to 75% between 1987 and 1996 before KDOQI, with a significant trend of increasing prevalence over time (p < 0.001).

Among a contemporary group of children tested in 2005 and 2006, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 39%, and the prevalence of insufficiency (levels < 32 ng/mL) was 72%.

Dr. Langman's team observes that median 25(OH)D levels ranged from 10.5 to 24.6 ng/mL from 1987 to 1996, very similar to the median value of 17.7 ng/mL in the later study period.

They note that restoring vitamin D levels is crucial for maintenance of skeletal integrity, growth velocity, and regulation of the immune system, as well as for the reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease and of several types of cancer.

Pediatrics 2009;123:791-796.