Preemies with low Vitamin D are 14 percent more like to have expensive gut problems (necrotizing enterocolitis)

Maternal/neonatal vitamin D deficiency: a new risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants?

Journal of Perinatology , (23 March 2017) | doi:10.1038/jp.2017.18

M Cetinkaya, T Erener-Ercan, T Kalayci-Oral, A Babayiğit, B Cebeci, S Y Semerci and G Buyukkale

Objective:

The objective of the study was to investigate the possible association between maternal/neonatal 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) levels and development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

Study Design:

One hundred and forty-five preterm infants less than or equal to 36 weeks of gestation were enrolled. 25-OHD levels were determined in maternal/neonatal blood samples that were obtained at the time of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Results:

Of the 145 enrolled patients, 26 (18%) developed NEC. Maternal/neonatal 25-OHD levels in the NEC group were significantly lower than those of the no-NEC group (P=0.001 and 0.004, respectively). In univariate logistic regression analysis, both maternal/neonatal vitamin D levels were a significant predictor of NEC (odds ratio (OR): 0.92 and 0.89; P<0.001 and P<0.005, respectively). However, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that only maternal vitamin D level was a significant predictor of NEC ( OR: 0.86 , P<0.0009).

Conclusion:

This is the first study to propose a possible association between maternal/neonatal 25-OHD levels and subsequent development of NEC in preterm infants.

Publisher rents the PDF for $4

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See also web

• Necrotizing enterocolitis Wikipedia
  • "Rates were almost three times higher for black populations than for white populations" (Note: blacks hasve lower vitamin D levels
• Part 1. Current Controversies in the Understanding of Necrotizing Enterocolitis Medscape 2003
  • "The incidence of NEC varies. It is stated most often as 1% to 7% of all neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions, or 1 to 3 per 1,000 live births"
• Costs of necrotizing enterocolitis and cost-effectiveness of exclusively human milk-based products in feeding extremely premature infants Feb 2017
  • NEC medical + surgical cost = $270,000
• Necrotizing Enterocolitis Risk April 2012
  • "Necrotizing enterocolitis is a costly disease, accounting for nearly 20% of NICU costs annually."
  • "Necrotizing enterocolitis survivors requiring surgery often stay in the NICU more than 90 days and are among those most likely to stay more than 6 months"
  • "Although 90% of infants who develop NEC are born premature, full-term and near-term infants also develop the disease"
  • "It is estimated that nearly 12% of infants born weighing less than 1500 g will develop NEC; of those, about 30% will not survive."
  • 📄 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

VitaminDWiki Calculation:

Vitamin D does not appear to be a cost-effective way to prevent NEC

1. 1 in 1,000 live births get NEC (see web above)

2. $100,000 = Conservative cost of NEC

   • thus NEC only adds $100 to the average cost of birth
3. 14% less NEC if high good level of vitamin D (study on this page)
   • Thus adding Vitamin D would only reduce the averagecost of birth due to NEC by $14
   • This calculation does not consider the decrease in extreme premie births by vitamin D
   • This calculation does not consider adding Vitamin D to premie after birth but before NEC starts

See also VitaminDWiki

• Infant-Child category listing has items along with related searches

• Stunting OR “low birth weight” OR LBW OR preemie OR preemies OR preterm 777 items as of March 2017

• Preterm births are VERY costly – Feb 2017

• Children in Intensive Care need Vitamin D loading dose of 10000 IU per kg (nearing a consensus) - Oct 2016

• 5 out of 6 children who died in pediatric critical care unit had low vitamin D – May 2014

  Healthy pregnancies need lots of vitamin D has the following summary

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