Author(s):
1. Maria Hassan:
THQ Hospital Gujar Khan (Government of Punjab), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
2. Iffat Batool:
THQ Hospital Gujar Khan (Government of Punjab), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
3. Hasan Mujtaba:
THQ Hospital Gujar Khan (Government of Punjab), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
4. Uzma Abid:
THQ Hospital Gujar Khan (Government of Punjab), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
5. Muhammad Mohsin Javaid:
THQ Hospital Gujar Khan (Government of Punjab), Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Abstract:
Background and Objective: The contagious and invasive nature has made coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) a critical health issue for the community. The lower respiratory tract is the major site of inflammation seen in COVID-19-positive individuals. Vitamin D (Vit D) has been proposed to have a positive role in immunomodulation, hence, this study aimed to determine the association between Vit D levels and the severity of COVID-19 in infected pediatric patients presenting at a secondary healthcare hospital in Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 100 pediatric patients of the age range 1-18 years from March to December 2021. These patients were hospitalized and diagnosed with coronavirus disease with confirmed results on a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Blood samples of the patients were taken to monitor the baseline levels of markers of acute infection and Vit D levels. Patients with serum Vit D levels = 20 ng/ml were labeled with deficiency, those with levels 21-29 ng/ml were presumed to have Vit D insuficiency whereas levels =30 ng/ml were considered normal. Results: There were 57 (57%) males and 43 (43%) female pediatric patients. The mean age of the patients was 10.46 ± 4.25 years (1-18 years). The deficient Vit D level group had a greater frequency of pyrexia, weakness, cough, anosmia, headache, myalgia, and diarrhea. The levels of Vit D and severity of the disease were significantly associated (p-value = 0.027). Conclusion: Pediatric patients with COVID-19 having optimum levels of Vit D were less likely to develop complications associated with the severity of the disease.
Page(s):
33-37
Published:
Journal: Biomedica, Volume: 39, Issue: 1, Year: 2023
Keywords:
COVID19
,
Complications
,
Vitamin D
,
Disease
,
Pediatric
,
Severity
,
Covid19
References:
References are not available for this document.
Citations
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