The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relationship with disease severity in an urban pediatric critical care unit

Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among patients admitted to a Pediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU) in an urban children’s hospital, and to assess if there is a correlation between vitamin D level and disease severity. Patients and Methods. Patients (216) between the ages of 1-21 years admitted to the PCCU in a children’s hospital, excluding those readmitted with a previous vitamin D level, were enrolled. Serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were measured in all patients within 24 h of admission to the PCCU. The severity of patient illness was assessed by the Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction (PELOD) score determined on admission. Results. Vitamin D deficiency was found in 28% of patients and vitamin D insufficiency was found in 47% of patients. Adolescent age group, female gender, Black race, winter season, and increasing BMI were determined to be risk factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. No significant correlation was found between vitamin D level and PELOD score (p=0.09). There were six deaths (3%), 5 (83%) of which occurred in patients with low vitamin D levels. Total serum calcium levels correlated with vitamin D (p=0.005) and PELOD score (p=0.001). However, ionized calcium levels did not significantly correlate with vitamin D (p=0.62) or PELOD score (p=0.26). Conclusions. Vitamin D deficiency is common in children admitted to an urban inner city PCCU, with 75% of patients having abnormal levels. We did not find a significant correlation between disease severity as measured by PELOD score and vitamin D level in a heterogeneous group of critically ill children. Total serum calcium levels significantly correlated with vitamin D and disease severity in this population. There appears to be an association between vitamin D deficiency and mortality.