Journal
PLOS ONE
Volume 12, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170509
Keywords
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Categories
Funding
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC GRANTS) [250216, 223269]
- Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence scheme
- University of Bergen (UiB), Norway
- South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority [2012090]
- Thrasher Research Fund [9144]
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (RCN Project) [223269]
- Centre for International Health, University of Bergen (Norway)
- Knowledge Integration and Technology Platform (KnIT)
- Grand Challenges Initiative of the Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) of Government of India
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (USA)
- Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC) [223269]
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Background Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between poor vitamin D status and respiratory infections and diarrhea among young children. Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) and diarrhea are among the two most important causes of death in under-5 children. In this paper, we examined the extent to which vitamin-D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) predicts ALRI, clinical pneumonia and diarrhea among 6 to 30 months old children. Methods We used data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of daily folic acid and/or vitamin B12 supplementation for six months in 6 to 30 months old children conducted in Delhi, India. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to examine the associations between vitamin-D deficiency and episodes of ALRI, clinical pneumonia and diarrhea. Results Of the 960 subjects who had vitamin-D concentrations measured, 331(34.5%) were vitamin-D deficient. We found, after controlling for relevant potential confounders (age, sex, breastfeeding status, wasting, stunting, underweight, anemia status and season), that the risk of ALRI was significantly higher among vitamin-D deficient (OR 1.26; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.55) compared to vitamin-D-replete children in the six months follow-up period. Vitamin-D status was not associated with episodes of diarrhea or clinical pneumonia. Conclusion Vitamin-D deficiency is common in young children in New Delhi and is associated with a higher risk of ALRI. The role of vitamin D in Indian children needs to be elucidated in further studies.
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