Vitamin D Deficiency and Comorbidities in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia
Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2012 Apr;29(3):261-6. (doi:10.3109/08880018.2012.661034)
Tara Christine Jackson,1 Melissa Jo Krauss, MPH,2 Michael Rutledge DeBaun, MD, MPH,3 Robert Charles Strunk, MD,4 and Ana Maria Arbeláez, MD, MSCI4
1 Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
2 Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
3 Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; and Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
4 Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Address correspondence to Ana Maria Arbeláez, MD, MSCI, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Washington University in St. Louis,
School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid, Campus Box 8116-NWT, St. Louis, MO 63110–1077, USA. E-mail: arbelaez_a at kids.wustl.edu
Vitamin D deficiency is known to be common among patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA).
Vitamin D levels were measured in 139 children (aged 7.9 to 15.1 years) to study its association with SCA morbidities;
severe deficiency <10 ng/mL was present in 64.0% and only 2.2% were sufficient (>30 ng/mL).
Vitamin D levels
- were associated with pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]), but
- not associated with either rates of acute pain or acute chest syndrome episodes.
Further studies are needed to be able to compare outcomes in those with deficiency to those with sufficiency, as well as to treating patients with SCA with vitamin D to better establish a possible link, if any, between vitamin D and SCA morbidity.
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See also Vitamin D Life
- Overview Dark Skin and Vitamin D - typically very low on vitamin D if not supplemented
- Overview Dark Skin Births and Vitamin D
Items in both categories of Bone Health and Dark Skin are listed below
- Vitamin D should be an almost universal feature of the care of young adults with sickle cell disease – May 2018
- Vitamin D paradox – Blacks need Vit D for health, but not as much D for strong bones – May 2018
- Sickle Cell clinical trial will inject 300,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT due 2020
- Sickle Cell children need more than 7,000 IU of vitamin D daily – May 2015
- Overview Sickle Cell and Vitamin D
- Sickle cell Vitamin D deficiency corrected with 160 K IU loading dose – July 2014
- Bone density does not decrease with lower vitamin D levels in blacks as it does in whites – April 2014
- Vitamin D different relationship between whites and blacks for bone and plaque – June 2012
- Sickle cell and low vitamin D – 3 presentations Dec 2012
- Forearm fracture 3.5X more often in black children with low levels of vitamin D – Sept 2012
- Sickle Cell Anemia: 64 percent had less than 10ng of vitamin D – April 2012
- Black seniors near equator: increased vitamin D decreases bone density – Sept 2011
- 14000 IU vitamin D (50000 twice a week) often stops Sickle Cell pain
- Blacks may not need as much Vitamin D (for their bones)
- Low vitamin D before orthopedic surgery – dark skin 5X more likely – Oct 2010
- Arthritis 2X as severe in African-Americans - April 2010
See also web
- Relationship between vitamin D deficiency and bone fragility in sickle cell disease: A cohort study of 56 adults Oct 2012
Median 25(OH)D concentration was 6ng/mL.
Those with < 6ng had 43% probability of having a bone fracture
The other half with > 6ng had only 18% probability of having a bone fracture - Complete resolution of sickle cell chronic pain with high dose vitamin D therapy: a case report and review of the literature Oct 2011
- The Role of Nutrition in Sickle Cell Disease Jan 2010 full text on-line
- Clinical Trials for Sickle Cell and vitamin D INTERVENTION 3 as of Oct 2012
Clinical Trial 10,000 IU
Clinical Trial 3,000 IU