Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Pediatrics

Background: Preterm newborns are born with lower vitamin D stores. Although vitamin D supplementation is recommended there is no consensus regarding the adequate dose of supplementation for preterm infants. Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the effect of 400 versus 1000 IU of daily supplementation of oral vitamin D3 on the level of serum 25 (OH) D between the 2 groups of newborns.Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25 (OH) D concentrations < 12 ng/ml, insufficiency < 20 ng/ml and sufficiency > 20 ng/ml.We also aimed to measure serum Ca,ph, Alp and compare the improvement in anthropometric measurements between both groups Study design: Randomized controlled trial. Subjects: Eighty successive preterm neonates with a gestational age of {u2264}32 weeks were randomly allocated to receive 400 or 1000 IU/day of vitamin D.Results: Initial vitamin D level was (12.37 ± 1.03ng/ml) in the 400IU/day group vs. (12.28 ± 3.22 ng/ml) in the 1000 IU/day group. The average 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations at 40 weeks PCA were significantly higher in the 1000 IU (16.26 ± 7.92 ng/ml) when compared to the 400 IU group (12.87 ± 6.15 ng/ml). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was significantly lower in the 1000 IU group vs.the 400 IU group (5% vs 25%, p=0.012), and insufficiency was lower in the 1000 IU group when compared to the 400 IU group at 40 weeks PCAbut didn't reach a statistical significance (47.5% IU vs 57.5%, p=0.37), while the prevalence of sufficiency was significantly higher in the 1000 IU group vs. the 400 IU group at 40 PCA (47.5% vs. 17.5%, p=0.004). Follow-up serum ca showed a highly significant rise in the 1000 IU group when compared with the 400 IU group (9.18 ± 1.76 mg/dL vs. 8.69 ± 0.77 mg/dL, p<0.001). Length at follow-up was statistically higher in the 1000 IU group when compared with the 400 IU group (42.0 ± 3.45 cm vs 39.93 ± 1.60 cm, p<0.001)

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