Vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children with sepsis.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc, published as an observational study.

To investigate the prevalence of VDD in critically ill children with sepsis.

Why It Was Studied

Data on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in critically ill children with sepsis and its association with illness severity and outcome are limited.

Who Took Part

The study group was 338 children.

PubMed indexes the participants as infants, young children and children, both men and women.

Demographic data, clinical signs and risk factors for VDD, Paediatric Index of Mortality III (PRISM III) score, and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score were recorded.

Cases were compared with 338 apparently healthy children for baseline variables and vitamin D status.

How the Study Was Run

The occurrence of septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and healthcare-associated infection (HCAI), need for mechanical ventilation and catecholamines, length of PICU stay and mortality were also recorded.

What Was Measured

Data on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in critically ill children with sepsis and its association with illness severity and outcome are limited.

The subject headings attached to it are Child Mortality, Critical Illness, Cross Infection, India, Intensive Care Units, Pediatric, Length of Stay and Multiple Organ Failure.

Author keywords: Critically ill children, PICU, Sepsis and Vitamin D.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is an observational study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 338 children.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

Its findings take up roughly 4 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2016 (Paediatrics and international child health), a journal based in England.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.