title: Calcium and vitamin D intake and biochemical tests in short-stature children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Growth is highly dependent on the absorption of nutrients. Inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake may compromise bone mineralization and growth. There is a great deal of concern regarding calcium and vitamin D intake, as well as biochemical changes in children and adolescents, which led us to investigate calcium and vitamin D levels during growth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight children and adolescents with short stature (z-score <3 s.d.) were evaluated from September 2005 to February 2007. Blood biochemical analyses and 24-h urine tests were performed and were used to evaluate calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, sodium, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 25(OH)D levels. Dietary inquiries, repeated three times, were used to estimate the actual intake of these substances.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A reduced calcium (608.6 mg/day) and vitamin D (72.5 IU/day) intake was observed. Calcium excretion in 24-h urine (56 mg/24 h) and calcium excretion by weight (2.0 mg/24 h/kg) showed scores that were below normal. A negative correlation between PTH and both dietary vitamin D (r=-0.46; P<0.01) and calcium intake (r =-0.41; P<0.001) was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The low calcium and vitamin D intake observed in short-stature children and adolescents was associated with biochemical results, and suggested that PTH and calcium excretion may be useful screening tests for evaluating dietary calcium and vitamin D.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Endocrinologia, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Porgrama de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas: Endocrinologia e Nutrição, Faculdade de Medicina, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil. aline.bueno@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Czepielewski
authors.forename: F V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Raimundo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001361:Avitaminosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001827:Body Height; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000652:urine; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015930:Diet Records; D006801:Humans; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D014807:Vitamin D; D002112:Calcifediol; D002118:Calcium