Koh Magdalena Yvonne, Lee Audrey J W, Wong Hung Chew, Aishworiya Ramkumar
Child Development Unit, Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
Department of Paediatrics, Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Hospital, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
Nutrients. 2025 Aug 23;17(17):2738. doi: 10.3390/nu17172738.
: This study aimed to determine the occurrence of vitamin D and iron deficiency in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Singapore and identify correlates of the presence of these deficiencies, if any. : This is an observational, cross-sectional, retrospective review of children with a diagnosis of autism, aged 1 to 10 years old, seen at a tertiary developmental paediatric centre from January 2018 to December 2022, with blood investigations completed. Autism diagnosis was determined either clinically by a developmental paediatrician using DSM-5 criteria or using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2). Children with genetic disorders and chronic medical conditions were excluded. Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations with the deficiencies, and the Bonferroni method was applied on post hoc comparisons. : The overall sample comprised 241 children (79% males, mean age 4.2 years [SD 2.25]. There were 222 and 236 children who had blood investigations for vitamin D and iron levels performed, respectively. Out of the 222 children whose vitamin D tests were performed, 36.5% had vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency. Iron deficiency occurred in 37.7% for children who had their iron levels tested. There were 122 observations for both iron levels and complete blood count. Out of these, 19 (15.6%) had iron deficiency anaemia. There were no significant correlates for iron deficiency, with picky eating included. : Vitamin D and iron deficiencies were common in this sample. Clinicians should consider testing for vitamin D and iron for children with ASD, especially for vitamin D in children of Indian ethnicity and older age.
本研究旨在确定新加坡自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童中维生素D和铁缺乏症的发生率，并确定这些缺乏症（若存在）的相关因素。这是一项对2018年1月至2022年12月在一家三级发育儿科中心就诊的1至10岁自闭症诊断儿童进行的观察性、横断面回顾性研究，且已完成血液检查。自闭症诊断由发育儿科医生根据DSM-5标准临床确定或使用自闭症诊断观察量表（ADOS-2）确定。患有遗传疾病和慢性疾病的儿童被排除。采用逻辑回归评估与这些缺乏症的关联，并在事后比较中应用Bonferroni方法。总体样本包括241名儿童（79%为男性，平均年龄4.2岁[标准差2.25]）。分别有222名和236名儿童进行了维生素D和铁水平的血液检查。在进行维生素D检测的222名儿童中，36.5%存在维生素D不足/缺乏。进行铁水平检测的儿童中，37.7%存在铁缺乏。对122名儿童进行了铁水平和全血细胞计数检查。其中，19名（15.6%）患有缺铁性贫血。包括挑食在内，没有发现与铁缺乏有显著相关性的因素。本样本中维生素D和铁缺乏症很常见。临床医生应考虑对ASD儿童进行维生素D和铁检测，尤其是对印度裔和年龄较大儿童的维生素D检测。
