title: Vitamin D status in pediatric osteoarticular tuberculosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tubercular patients, in general, have been demonstrated with lower serum levels of vitamin D, but the levels in osteoarticular tuberculosis (TB) in children are largely unknown. We aimed to determine serum vitamin D status in pediatric cases with osteoarticular TB.
  
  
  METHODS
  The values of serum vitamin D were estimated in 100 children with osteoarticular TB. The patients were divided into three groups based on gender, age, and site to assess variations of vitamin D levels in pediatric osteoarticular TB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypovitaminosis D was associated with active osteoarticular TB in children. The mean vitamin D levels were 42.165 nmol/L. There were no statistical difference between mean vitamin D levels in boys and girls (p value = 0.6143); age groups <5 and 5-12 years (p value = 0.3857); or spinal and non-spinal osteoarticular groups (p value = 0.8350).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Active osteoarticular TB in children was also associated with hypovitaminosis D. The correlation between hypovitaminosis D and osteoarticular TB appears to be more disease specific rather than host specific.
authors.affiliation: Specialist, Department of Pediatric Orthopaedics, Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Geeta Colony, Delhi 110031, India.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.affiliation: Senior Resident, Department of Pediatric Orthopaedics, Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Geeta Colony, Delhi 110031, India.
authors.forename: Madhusudan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Geeta Colony, Delhi 110031, India.
authors.forename: Pradeep Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Dabla
authors.affiliation: Senior Resident, Department of Biochemistry, Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Geeta Colony, Delhi 110031, India.
authors.forename: Shikha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
keywords: Child; Osteoarticular tuberculosis; Pediatric; Vitamin D levels