title: Vitamin D deficiency and lower respiratory tract infections in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
abstract: Studies related to vitamin D deficiency and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in children have inconsistent findings. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children with LRTI, and to evaluate the correlation between vitamin D levels and the incidence and severity of LRTI. A total of 12 studies enrolling 2279 participants were included in our analysis. Children with LRTI were found to have significantly lower mean vitamin D levels as compared to controls There was likewise a correlation between vitamin D levels and incidence and severity of LRTI. Large randomised controlled trials are needed to evaluate effect of vitamin D supplementation for LRTI.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India drkanaram@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kana Ram
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Jat
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: Vitamin D; case-control study; cohort; lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI)