Department of Paediatrics, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Department of Paediatrics, Al-Kindi Specialised Hospital, Manama, Bahrain.
East Mediterr Health J. 2020 Mar 24;26(3):260-267. doi: 10.26719/emhj.19.084.
Vitamin D deficiency is a global health problem in children. The vitamin D status of children and adolescents has not been evaluated in Bahrain.
This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in healthy children in Bahrain and to investigate the relationship between vitamin D level and age and sex.
Medical records of children aged 1 month to 16 years who attended a vitamin D screening campaign at Al Kindi Specialized Hospital, Bahrain between September and October 2016 were reviewed. Data on sex and age were recorded and vitamin D level was measured as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Children were grouped as: vitamin D sufficient [25(OH)D ≥ 75 nmol/L], vitamin D insufficient (51-74 nmol/L) and vitamin D deficient (≤ 50 nmol/L).
A total of 531 children were included in the study, 50.8% of whom were boys. Most of the children (93.4%) had low vitamin D levels; 78.3% were vitamin D deficient and 15.1% vitamin D insufficient. Only 6.6% were vitamin D sufficient. A significantly greater proportion of girls were vitamin D deficient than boys (P < 0.001). More primary-school children and adolescents were vitamin D deficient than preschool children (P < 0.001). A negative correlation was found between vitamin D level and age (r = -0.467; P < 0.001). Regression analysis showed that vitamin D level decreased by -2.164 nmol/L for each year of age.
Vitamin D deficiency is a problem among healthy children in Bahrain. Public health policies or interventions are suggested to improve vitamin D status in Bahrain, especially for school-aged children.
维生素 D 缺乏是全球儿童的健康问题。在巴林，尚未对儿童和青少年的维生素 D 状况进行评估。
本横断面研究旨在确定巴林健康儿童维生素 D 缺乏的流行率，并探讨维生素 D 水平与年龄和性别之间的关系。
回顾了 2016 年 9 月至 10 月在巴林 Al Kindi 专科医院参加维生素 D 筛查活动的 1 个月至 16 岁儿童的病历。记录了性别和年龄数据，并测量了血清 25-羟维生素 D [25(OH)D]的维生素 D 水平。将儿童分为：维生素 D 充足[25(OH)D≥75nmol/L]、维生素 D 不足（51-74nmol/L）和维生素 D 缺乏（≤50nmol/L）。
本研究共纳入 531 名儿童，其中 50.8%为男孩。大多数儿童（93.4%）维生素 D 水平较低；78.3%为维生素 D 缺乏，15.1%为维生素 D 不足。仅有 6.6%的儿童维生素 D 充足。女孩维生素 D 缺乏的比例显著高于男孩（P<0.001）。与学龄前儿童相比，更多的小学生和青少年维生素 D 缺乏（P<0.001）。维生素 D 水平与年龄呈负相关（r=-0.467；P<0.001）。回归分析显示，维生素 D 水平随年龄增长每年下降 2.164nmol/L。
维生素 D 缺乏是巴林健康儿童的一个问题。建议采取公共卫生政策或干预措施来改善巴林的维生素 D 状况，特别是针对学龄儿童。
