Dietary vitamin D supplementation and clinical-metabolic parallels in children with gastroenterological pathology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/2411-1597.2026.2.16477Keywords:
vitamin D, dietary intake, children, chronic gastroduodenitis, functional biliary tract disorders, mineral homeostasis, nutritional statusAbstract
Introduction. Vitamin D (VD) insufficiency and deficiency are a global public health issue that significantly affects the pediatric population. Children with gastroenterological pathology are at the highest risk of developing hypovitaminosis D due to the synergistic effects of intestinal malabsorption, dietary restrictions, and systemic nutritional imbalance.
The aim of the study – to evaluate the dietary vitamin D supply in children with gastroenterological pathology, establish the nature of clinical and metabolic disorders, and substantiate pathogenetic approaches to their correction.
The main part. A comprehensive examination included 58 children aged 5–16 years (mean age – (13.86±4.03) years) divided into two groups: Group 1 (n=30) – children with chronic gastroduodenitis in the acute stage; Group 2 (n=28) – children with functional biliary tract disorders. Using a weekly nutritional questionnaire, it was established that the actual average daily dietary intake of VD in the total investigated sample was critically low and amouned to only (82.63±61.12) IU (less than 15–20 % of the physiological requirement). The lowest level of intake was found in Group 1 due to the restricted consumption of marine fish against the background of dietary limitations and gastric dyspepsia. Chronic deficiency of dietary VD was accompanied by the manifestation of signs of impaired mineral homeostasis and trophic disorders. The main clinical markers were: posture disorders (56.89 %), hair trichoptilosis and hair loss (36.20 %), multiple dental caries (31.03 %), and nail brittleness (27.58 %). Additionally, concomitant allergic pathology was verified in 22.41 % of patients, indicating the suppression of extra-skeletal immunomodulatory effects of the D-endocrine system. The described changes were more pronounced in Group 1.
Conclusions. Children with gastrointestinal diseases are characterized by a profound dietary vitamin D deficiency that cannot be compensated for by standard diet therapy alone. This category of patients requires mandatory annual laboratory screening of serum 25(OH)D levels and the inclusion of cholecalciferol monotherapy into treatment protocols.
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