Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes have a high prevalence of low vitamin D levels, according to a study published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.
The study, conducted by Terri Lipman, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and colleagues, included 197 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes recruited from a diabetes center in a children’s hospital during regular follow-up visits. The researchers measured participants’ 25-hydroxyvitamin D and blood glucose levels using non-fasting blood samples. HbA1c and other information were taken from participants’ medical records.
The mean HbA1c among the participants was 8.6. A significant amount of participants had low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D: 40.6% had levels ≤50 nmol/L, 49.2% had levels between 51 and 75 nmol/L, and 10.2% had levels >75 nmol/L.
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The bivariate relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and HbA1c almost reached statistical significance, but there was no significance in the multivariate model. However, the results indicated a high prevalence of low vitamin D in this patient population.
“To our knowledge this is the first study that has been adequately powered to examine the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and HbA1c (a measure of diabetes control) in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes,” the researchers wrote. “These data suggest the need for monitoring of vitamin D in all youth with this disorder.”
Reference
- Al Sawah S, Compher SW, Hanlon AL, et al. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and glycemic control: a cross-sectional study of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Res Clin Pr. 2016; 115: 54-59.
