Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Association With Anthropometric and Hematological Parameters Among Infants at a Tertiary Care Center in Meerut, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Vitamin D is crucial in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism, and its deficiency is widespread even in sun-rich regions like India. The present study sought to elucidate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in infants and its potential association with various anthropometric and hematological parameters.

Methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in northern India (in 2013-14) and involved 77 nine-month-old infants. Data collection included demographic information, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory parameters like levels of serum vitamin D, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), total RBC count, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Vitamin D status was classified based on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] levels.

Results: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 42.9% (33 out of 77 infants). Infants with vitamin D deficiency had significantly lower mean body weight (8.26 ± 0.89 kg) as compared to vitamin D non-deficient infants (8.72 ± 0.99 kg) (p = 0.04). Hematological analysis revealed significantly lower Hb levels (9.59 ± 1.68 g/dL) in the vitamin D deficient group compared to the vitamin D non-deficient group (10.35 ± 1.44 g/dL) (p = 0.04). Other significant differences included lower PCV (p = 0.03) and MCV (p = 0.002) in the vitamin D-deficient group.

Conclusion: This study highlights the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (42.9%) among infants and its significant association (p-value less than 0.05) with reduced body weight and hematological indices like Hb, PCV, and MCV. These findings underscore the need for routine screening, nutritional interventions, and vitamin D supplementation to address vitamin D deficiency among infants. Further research involving diverse populations is required to validate these results, further guiding optimum public health strategies.