Assessment of vitamin D levels in pediatric patients: A retrospective analysis from a tertiary hospital

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to assess the vitamin D levels in patients who visited the pediatric outpatient clinic for various reasons.
METHODS: The study was conducted retrospectively. Demographic information, vitamin D levels, place of residence (rural or urban), and vitamin D levels of 6939 patients, all obtained from the medical records of children aged 0–18 years who visited the outpatient pediatric clinic at Adıyaman Training and Research Hospital for any reason between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, were meticulously recorded in an Excel file.
RESULTS: Of the patients, 44.2% had adequate vitamin D levels. When examining these levels, it was observed that boys had a significantly higher proportion of sufficient vitamin D levels than girls (p<0.001). A significant difference in vitamin D levels was also observed among the 0–5 years, 6–11 years, and 12–18 years (p<0.001). Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency was notably more prevalent in children residing in urban areas than in rural areas.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It has been observed that vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency has a significant rate in childhood. To protect children against vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency, adopting a protective lifestyle that includes increasing sun exposure, gradually increasing vitamin D supplementation as they age, and periodically checking their vitamin D levels can be beneficial in preventing complications.