title: Vitamin D Deficiency and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in Children and Adolescents: a Critical Vitamin D Level for This Association?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vitamin D has been suggested to be active as an immunomodulator in autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). The goal of the present study was to investigate the vitamin D status in HT patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prevalence case-control study was conducted on 90 patients with HT (of ages 12.32 ± 2.87 years) and 79 age-matched healthy controls (11.85 ± 2.28 years). Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] levels were measured in all 169 subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in HT patients (64 of 90; 71.1%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (41 of 79; 51.9%) (p=0.025). Mean serum 25(OH)D3 level in the HT group was significantly lower compared to the control group (16.67 ± 11.65 vs. 20.99 ± 9.86 ng/mL, p=0.001). HT was observed 2.28 times more frequently in individuals with 25(OH)D3 levels <20 ng/mL (OR: 2.28, CI: 1.21-4.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D deficiency is associated with HT in children and adolescents. Levels lower than 20 ng/mL seem to be critical. The mechanism for this association is not clear.
authors: İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, İstanbul, Turkey Phone: +90 533 633 15 64 E-mail: olcayevliyaoglu@hotmail.com.
authors: Olcay
authors: O
authors: Evliyaoğlu
authors: Manolya
authors: M
authors: Acar
authors: Bahar
authors: B
authors: Özcabı
authors: Ethem
authors: E
authors: Erginöz
authors: Feride
authors: F
authors: Bucak
authors: Oya
authors: O
authors: Ercan
authors: Mine
authors: M
authors: Kucur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D014804:Vitamin B Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; D002112:Calcifediol