[Relationship between vitamin D deficiency and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship of vitamin D level with the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants.

METHODS: A total of 429 preterm infants with a gestational age of <36 weeks, who were admitted to the department of neonatology within 2 hours after birth between January and December, 2016, were enrolled in the study. According to whether these infants developed NEC, the 429 subjects were divided into NEC group (n=22) and non-NEC group (n=407). Peripheral venous blood was collected from these preterm infants and their mothers at admission to measure the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD). The two groups were compared in terms of the serum 25-OHD levels of preterm infants and their mothers. Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between the serum 25-OHD levels of preterm infants and their mothers. The distribution of vitamin D levels in preterm infants was compared between the two groups. The univariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for NEC in preterm infants.

RESULTS: The serum 25-OHD levels of preterm infants and their mothers in the NEC group were significantly lower than in the non-NEC group (P<0.001). In both groups, the serum 25-OHD levels of mothers and preterm infants were positively correlated with each other (P<0.001). The distribution of vitamin D levels (normal vitamin D level, low vitamin D level, vitamin D deficiency, and severe vitamin D deficiency) was significantly different between the NEC and non-NEC groups (P<0.001). The univariate logistic regression analysis showed that gestational age, birth weight, 25-OHD levels of preterm infants and their mothers, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the duration of oxygen inhalation, and the length of hospital stay were associated with the development of NEC (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The serum 25-OHD levels of preterm infants and their mothers may be related to the development of NEC in preterm infants, suggesting that vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy is important for preventing the development of NEC in preterm infants.