Frequency of Hypovitaminosis D in 6 - 59 Month Children with Severe Malaria in the Pediatrics Unit of the Teaching Hospital of Parakou (CHUD/BA) in Benin in 2016

Abstract

Introduction: Vitamin D's action outside of bone, especially on immunity, is widely reported in the international scientific literature over the last years. Objective: Calculate the frequency of hypovitaminosis D in children aged 6 to 59 months suffering from severe malaria in the CHUD-P pediatric unit in 2016. Setting and Methods: This research work is a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical purposes. Data gathering was prospective. The study involved children aged 6 to 59 months hospitalized for severe malaria in the CHUD-P pediatric unit. The said children were HIV-uninfected, eutrophic and had not received vitamin D supplementation during the last 6 months. Vitamin D dose was measured using the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique. Results: A total of 80 subjects were involved in the survey. Mean age was 26.08 months, sex ratio was 0.8 and average weight was 10.80 kg. Hypovitaminosis D frequency was 83.8% (67 cases out of 80 children investigated during the survey) with an average plasma concentration of vitamin D estimated at 21.57 ng/ml ± 7.34 with two extremes (11.24 -42.32) ng/ml. The minimum parasitaemia was 202 P/μl and the maximum was 580,000 P/µl. Conclusion: Hypovitaminosis D is common in children suffering from severe malaria; this result suggests conducting a large-scale community-based study to decide on vitamin D inclusion in national supplementation policies and severe malaria management.

Hypovitaminosis D in 6 - 59-Month Children in the District of Parakou (Benin) in 2017

“…Besides, the relation between hypovitaminosis D and infant and child mortality in Africa should be considered. In Benin, a study conducted in Parakou on the plasma vitamin D profile in children hospitalized for severe malaria showed a frequency of 83.8% hypovitaminosis [5]. This raises the question of the interaction between this micronutrient and malaria on the one hand, and then others infectious diseases on the other hand in a country without any policy of Vitamin D supplementation under the pretext of a high level of sunshine.…”