VIT-D 250
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A retrospective cohort study of hypervitaminosis D in children
IRAS ID
224203
Contact name
Jignesh Patel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and plays an important role in keeping our bones and teeth healthy. Without enough vitamin D children are at risk of developing rickets, which causes weak bones that can fracture easily. On the other hand, too much vitamin D can cause the body to absorb too much calcium; this can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. However, relatively little is known about "high levels" of vitamin D, and it is unclear how much is considered "too much". With increased use of vitamin D, and sometimes at doses higher than the recommended doses, there are increasing concerns of vitamin D toxicity, with scientific committees calling for further research on the topic. This study will identify, from laboratory databases, children with vitamin D level >250 nmol/l and to look in details at their risk factors, clinical features and how they were managed, to help us to begin to understand about vitamin D toxicity.Summary of Results
In this single centre retrospective study, the annual proportion of blood samples with 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations >150 nmol/L in children was 0.86% to 1.28% for the 3-year period between 2015 and 2017. In children with hypervitaminosis D, the most common characteristics were age less than 2 years and a diagnosis of epilepsy. An unexpected finding was that children with hypervitaminosis D in this study received doses of vitamin D as recommended by clinical practice guidelines. Further studies are needed to better understand the relationship between vitamin D dosing and its effect on serum 25(OH)D concentrations, particularly in younger children.REC name
London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/1888
Date of REC Opinion
29 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion