The association between 25-dehydroxy vitamin D and lower respiratory infection in children aged less than "5" years in Imam Reza hospital, Bojnurd, Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the association between vitamin D deficiency and acute respiratory infection in children below age 5 years. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Imam Reza Hospital in Bojnurd, Iran, in June 2013 and comprised 90 children below 5 years of age suffering from respiratory infections. They was selected on the basis of purposive sampling and were then categorised into two equal groups of 'acute' and 'non-acute' respiratory infection. Data collection was done using a questionnaire and serum level of 25-dehydroxycalcciferol was measured. SPSS 11 was used to analyse and interpret the data. RESULTS: In the group of children with respiratory disorders, 9 (42.9%) exhibited vitamin D deficiency. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics such as age, intrauterine age, weight, birth-weight, head circumference, height, gender, living area and respiratory distress (p>0.05 each). Vitamin D deficiency showed no meaningful statistical relation with acute respiratory infections (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: More studies with higher sample size and are recommended.