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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Endocrinology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1479815

Association of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes mellitus among Saudi pediatric patients; a hospital-based retrospective study

Provisionally accepted
Salman Almansour Salman Almansour 1Abdullrahman Alsalamah Abdullrahman Alsalamah 2Mohammad Almutlag Mohammad Almutlag 3Ahmed Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh 3Hamdan Z. Hamdan Hamdan Z. Hamdan 4Abdullah Alnafeesah Abdullah Alnafeesah 1Ashwaq AlEed Ashwaq AlEed 1Ishag Adam Ishag Adam 5Osama Al-Wutayd Osama Al-Wutayd 6*
  • 1 Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 Department of Pediatrics, King Saud Hospital, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia
  • 3 Diabetic Center, King Saud Hospital, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia
  • 4 Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
  • 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia
  • 6 Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The association between 25-hydroxy-vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and glycemic control in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between 25(OH)D levels and glycemic control in Saudi pediatric patients' with T1DM in a region that is sunny year-round.A retrospective study was conducted in the Pediatric Department of King Saud Hospital in Unaizah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 218 children with T1DM were enrolled in the study and grouped according to their glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels into the controlled T1DM (HbA1C ≤ 7.5%) and the uncontrolled T1DM (HbA1C > 7.5%). Their 25(OH)D levels and thyroid function were measured using standard methods.Results: Of the 218 children in this study, 182 (83.5%) had uncontrolled T1DM, while only 36 (16.5%) had controlled T1DM. The median (interquartile range) of 25(OH)D levels was significantly lower in the uncontrolled T1DM group compared with the controlled group [45.4 (31.2-59.7)nmol/L vs. 56.1 (37.5-77.6)nmol/L; p = 0.007], respectively. Vitamin D deficiency (< 50.0 nmol/L) and insufficiency (50-74 nmol/L) were detected in 55.0% and 31.1% of all the enrolled children, respectively. Vitamin D deficiency was detected in 86.6% of the uncontrolled T1DM patients and in 16.5% of the controlled T1DM patients (p=0.012). The multivariable analysis showed that both vitamin D deficiency [adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.92, p = 0.048] and insufficiency [aOR = 3.17, p = 0.042] were risk factors for uncontrolled diabetes.Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent in the studied group. Both vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are associated with uncontrolled T1DM. Further study is needed.

    Keywords: Prevalence, Diabetes Mellitus, Child, Vitamin D, HbA1c, glycemic control, Thyroid function

    Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 18 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Almansour, Alsalamah, Almutlag, Sheikh, Hamdan, Alnafeesah, AlEed, Adam and Al-Wutayd. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Osama Al-Wutayd, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia

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