Vitamin D deficiency and its effect on respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants: results from a prospective study in a tertiary care centre

BACKGROUND: The positive effects of steroids on lung development are well known, and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D(3) has been shown to exert positive effects on fetal lung development. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants. METHODS: Infants aged ≤32 gestational weeks who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during 1 year were enrolled in this prospective study. 25(OH)D levels were obtained at the time of admission to NICU. Patients were divided into three groups according to their 25(OH)D levels: severe (group 1), moderate (group 2), and mild (group 3) 25(OH)D deficiencies. RESULTS: The study comprised 72 patients; of them, RDS was observed in 49 and not observed in 23 patients. The mean 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in RDS patients (p=0.04). Multivariate analysis showed that patients with higher 25(OH)D levels can be preventive for the development of RDS (odds ratio 0.89; 95% confidence interval 0.8–0.99; p=0.04). CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that 25(OH)D deficiency is an independent risk factor for RDS in premature infants. However, further studies are necessary to explore the association between 25(OH)D deficiency and RDS.