Prevalence of vitamin d deficiency and its association among preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Vitamin D is an important steroidal hormone with a well-known effect on bone mineralisation. Apart from the effects of Vitamin D on bone and mineral metabolism, Vitamin D has other extraskeletal effects through its action on Vitamin D receptors (VDR) which are present in many organs in the body. One such action is the effect of Vitamin D on the preterm Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) where we had the primary objective to assess if Hypovitaminosis D could be a risk factor for the development of RDS. Also, we intended to find the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among the preterm neonates and to find the association between Vitamin D deficiency and duration of hospital stay, Neonatal sepsis and HNNE (Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination) scores at 40 weeks PMA.