Relationship Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Acute Pneumonia in Children Aged 1-59 Months in Nigeria

Introduction: Acute pneumonia is a leading infectious cause of death among children under 5 years globally and in Nigeria. Despite various existing strategies and interventions, pneumonia mortality remains unacceptably high. Novel interventions like improving vitamin D status may be needed as optimal vitamin D status may facilitate the ability of immune cells to fight against infections like pneumonia. We investigated the relationship between serum vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and acute pneumonia in children younger than 5 years in Nigeria. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study involved 135 children with pneumonia and 135 apparently healthy controls. Acute pneumonia was diagnosed using the revised World Health Organization criteria (2012) and chest radiological signs. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were determined using a vitamin D ELISA kit. The mean serum 25(OH)D levels in both groups were compared and also determined odds ratio (OR) of pneumonia. Results: The mean serum 25(OH)D level of children with pneumonia (52.14 +/- 21.87 nmol/l) was significantly lower than that of controls (60.91 +/- 32.65 nmol/l), p = 0.010. The proportion of children with low serum vitamin D levels (<= 75.0 nmol/l) was significantly higher in the pneumonia group (n = 123, 91.1%) than the control group (n = 97, 71.9%), p<0.001. After adjusting for confounders, serum 25(OH)D levels of greater than 75 nmol/l was associated with decreased odds of acute pneumonia (adjusted OR = 0.33, p = 0.007). Conclusion: A low vitamin D level was associated with increased risk of acute pneumonia.

Automated summary

This study in Nigeria found that low serum vitamin D levels were associated with an increased risk of acute pneumonia in children under 5 years old. Higher serum 25(OH)D levels were linked to a decreased odds of acute pneumonia after adjusting for confounders.