Al-Mendalawi, Mahmood Dhahir
Department of Paediatrics, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
Address for correspondence: Prof. Mahmood Dhahir Al-Mendalawi, Department of Paediatrics, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, P.O. Box 55302, Baghdad Post Office, Baghdad, Iraq. E-mail: [email protected]
Received September 18, 2022
Received in revised form October 20, 2022
Accepted November 04, 2022
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Dear Editor,
In September − December 2022 issue of the esteemed Indian Journal of Health Sciences and Biomedical Research KLEU, Jamatia et al.[1] reported that 60% of children in Agartala, a major city in North-East India had insufficient 25-Hydroxy (OH) Vitamin D (VD) levels and girls significantly had lower serum 25-OH VD levels (P < 0.05). Only 27% of the cohort had optimum serum 25-OH VD levels. Jamatia et al.[1] mentioned a few study limitations. We believe that the following limitation needs attention. In the study methodology, Jamatia et al.[1] stated that the diagnostic cutoff criteria according to the United States Endocrine Society (USES) guidelines[2] were employed to classify VD status into optimum (serum 25-OH VD levels >30 ng/ml); insufficient (serum 25-OH VD levels between 20 and 30 ng/ml), and deficient (serum 25-OH VD VD levels <20 ng/ml). Interestingly, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) revised 2021 guidelines[3] have considered serum 25-OH VD cutoffs proposed for VD deficiency, insufficiency, and sufficiency as <12 ng/mL, 12–20 ng/mL, and >20 ng/mL, respectively. As there are noticeable differences in serum 25-OH VD levels used in classifying VD profiles between USES guidelines[2] and IAP revised 2021 guidelines,[3] we wonder why Jamatia et al.[1] utilized the foreign guidelines rather than the national guidelines in the study methodology. We believe that employing national cutoff values for VD status could better elucidate the VD profile in the Indian cohort. That methodological limitation, therefore, might significantly query the correctness of the study results. Nevertheless, the high prevalence of pediatric VD deficiency (60%) reported by Jamatia et al.[1] merits the strict actions to prevent the serious consequences of VD deficiency.
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Conflicts of interest
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References
1. Jamatia E, Roy S, Das A, Dewan P, Debnath T. Vitamin D status of children at a tertiary care hospital of Agartala, North-East India: A cross-sectional study Indian J Health Sci Biomed Res. 2022;15:214–8
2. Holick MF, Binkley NC, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Gordon CM, Hanley DA, Heaney RP, et al Evaluation, treatment, and prevention of Vitamin D deficiency: An endocrine society clinical practice guideline J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96:1911–30
3. Gupta P, Dabas A, Seth A, Bhatia VL, Khadgawat R, Kumar P, et al Indian academy of pediatrics revised (2021) guidelines on prevention and treatment of Vitamin D deficiency and rickets Indian Pediatr. 2022;59:142–58
