title: Comparison of two regimens of vitamin D supplementation for vitamin D-deficient neonates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D deficiency is common in pregnant women, and supplementation of vitamin D is necessary for the infants of these women. This study explored the efficacy of an alternative way of vitamin D supplementation in an area with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in mothers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a non-randomised clinical trial conducted in 2010 in Yazd, Iran. Full-term healthy infants born to vitamin D-deficient mothers (n = 82) were divided into the high-dose regimen (HDR; single oral bolus 30,000 IU vitamin D3, n = 34) and the standard-dose regimen (SDR; 400 IU/day vitamin D3 within two weeks of life, n = 48) groups. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was measured using chemiluminescent immunoassays, and 25OHD level > 20 ng/mL was deemed sufficient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 90% of infants in the HDR group attained vitamin D sufficiency within one month, while comparable sufficiency was reached in the SDR group only after four months. At two months, the proportion of infants attaining 25OHD > 30 ng/mL was 93.3% and 27.9% in the HDR and SDR groups, respectively (p = 0.003). None of our infants achieved 25OHD levels > 100 ng/mL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For infants born to vitamin D-deficient mothers, oral supplementation of 30,000 IU vitamin D3 during the first month of life, followed by a routine recommended dose of 400 IU/day, should be considered. The four-month lag for attaining vitamin D sufficiency in 90% of infants in the SDR group may have clinical implications and should be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Science, Avicenna Street, Yazd, Iran. shakiba@ssu.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shakiba
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pahloosye
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirouliaei
authors.forename: Zia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Islami
mesh_terms: D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007492:Iran; D049449:Luminescence; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D