Vitamin D Status and Its Relationship with Clinical Presentation Characteristics in Children with the Diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes

Aim: This study is conducted to examine the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and type 1 diabetes since diabetes incidence is rising and recent studies have revealed extra osseous effects of vitamin D. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and 30 patients with no systemic disease were included in the study. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), parathormone (PTH), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) samples were obtained from both groups. Blood gas parameters were also obtained from the diabetic group. Information concerning vitamin D usage during pregnancy and infancy was acquired through personal interviews with patient's mothers. Results: 25-OHD levels were lower in the diabetic group than in the controls (24.43 +/- 16.25 ng/mL vs. 34.55 +/- 15.03 ng/mL, respectively, p=0.001), but the difference was not significant when seasonal variation was taken into consideration (33.44 +/- 17.23 ng/mL, vs. 34.55 +/- 15.03 ng/mL, p>0.05). Vitamin D levels were similar between the groups with diabetic ketoacidosis and non -acidotic group (p>0.05, for all). Ca, P, ALP and PTH levels were also similar at the time of diagnosis in the acidotic and non -acidotic groups (p>0.05, for all). The relationship between vitamin D use during pregnancy and infancy and the development of type 1 diabetes was similar between the diabetic and control groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: No significant effects of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency on the development of diabetes and clinical status at admission was detected. Vitamin D intake in infancy and pregnancy exhibited no protective effect against the progression of diabetes. Therefore, it does not seem possible to reach a definitive conclusion about the relationship of vitamin D and type 1 diabetes.