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Prevention and treatment of infant and childhood vitamin D deficiency in Australia and New Zealand: a consensus statement

Prevention and treatment of infant and childhood vitamin D deficiency in Australia and New... Vitamin D deficiency has re‐emerged as a significant paediatric health issue, with complications including hypocalcaemic seizures, rickets, limb pain and fracture. A major risk factor for infants is maternal vitamin D deficiency. For older infants and children, risk factors include dark skin colour, cultural practices, prolonged breastfeeding, restricted sun exposure and certain medical conditions. To prevent vitamin D deficiency in infants, pregnant women, especially those who are dark‐skinned or veiled, should be screened and treated for vitamin D deficiency, and breastfed infants of dark‐skinned or veiled women should be supplemented with vitamin D for the first 12 months of life. Regular sunlight exposure can prevent vitamin D deficiency, but the safe exposure time for children is unknown. To prevent vitamin D deficiency, at‐risk children should receive 400 IU vitamin D daily; if compliance is poor, an annual dose of 150 000 IU may be considered. Treatment of vitamin D deficiency involves giving ergocalciferol or cholecalciferol for 3 months (1000 IU/day if < 1 month of age; 3000 IU/day if 1–12 months of age; 5000 IU/day if > 12 months of age). High‐dose bolus therapy (300 000–500 000 IU) should be considered for children over 12 months of age if compliance or absorption issues are suspected. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Medical Journal of Australia Wiley

Prevention and treatment of infant and childhood vitamin D deficiency in Australia and New Zealand: a consensus statement

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References (44)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© AMPCo Pty Ltd. All rights reserved
eISSN
1326-5377
DOI
10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00558.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency has re‐emerged as a significant paediatric health issue, with complications including hypocalcaemic seizures, rickets, limb pain and fracture. A major risk factor for infants is maternal vitamin D deficiency. For older infants and children, risk factors include dark skin colour, cultural practices, prolonged breastfeeding, restricted sun exposure and certain medical conditions. To prevent vitamin D deficiency in infants, pregnant women, especially those who are dark‐skinned or veiled, should be screened and treated for vitamin D deficiency, and breastfed infants of dark‐skinned or veiled women should be supplemented with vitamin D for the first 12 months of life. Regular sunlight exposure can prevent vitamin D deficiency, but the safe exposure time for children is unknown. To prevent vitamin D deficiency, at‐risk children should receive 400 IU vitamin D daily; if compliance is poor, an annual dose of 150 000 IU may be considered. Treatment of vitamin D deficiency involves giving ergocalciferol or cholecalciferol for 3 months (1000 IU/day if < 1 month of age; 3000 IU/day if 1–12 months of age; 5000 IU/day if > 12 months of age). High‐dose bolus therapy (300 000–500 000 IU) should be considered for children over 12 months of age if compliance or absorption issues are suspected.

Journal

Medical Journal of Australia – Wiley

Published: Sep 1, 2006

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