Vitamin D deficiency and related factors in children with systemic Lupus erythematosus at the Vietnam National Children's Hospital
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Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease affecting multiple organs, commonly with onset during childhood. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 123 children aged 1 - 18 years old with SLE at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital from October 2024 to July 2025, aiming to describe the vitamin D deficiency status and associated factors. The results showed that the prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency was 54.5%, and insufficiency was 38.2%. There were statistically significant differences between vitamin D deficiency and hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.001) as well as hypocalcemia (p < 0.001). The prevalence of hypocalcemia was higher in the vitamin D deficient group (50.7%) compared to the insufficient (17%) and sufficient groups (11.1%). In addition, vitamin D deficiency was associated with the current prednisolone dose (p = 0.046). As vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among children with SLE . regular monitoring, assessment of vitamin D status, and adequate nutritional interventions with vitamin D supplementation are recommended for this population.
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Keywords
Systemic lupus erythematosus, vitamin D, children
References
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