Vitamin D Deficiency Prevalent in 90.2% of Indian Children with Newly Diagnosed Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-burden regions like India. Host nutritional status significantly influences susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by modulating cell-mediated immunity. Beyond its classical role in calcium homeostasis, Vitamin D exerts crucial immunomodulatory effects, enhancing macrophage activity, promoting phagosome-lysosome fusion, and inducing antimicrobial peptides like cathelicidin. While an association between Vitamin D deficiency and active TB is established in adults, pediatric data, especially from the Indian subcontinent, have been limited, highlighting a critical knowledge gap.

This prospective study enrolled 41 children, aged ≤18 years, who were newly diagnosed with Tuberculosis over a 12-month period. Sociodemographic and clinical data were systematically collected. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations were quantified using a chemiluminescence assay, with results expressed in nmol/L. Vitamin D status was categorized as deficient if levels were <50 nmol/L or non-deficient if ≥50 nmol/L. The distribution of Vitamin D levels was analyzed across various demographic and clinical characteristics.

Among the 41 children with Tuberculosis, a striking 90.2% (37 participants) exhibited Vitamin D deficiency, while only 9.8% (4 participants) had non-deficient levels. The mean serum Vitamin D level in the cohort was 34.75 ± 11.28 nmol/L. Pulmonary TB was the most frequently observed diagnosis, accounting for 41.5% of cases, followed by abdominal TB at 29.3%, central nervous system (CNS) TB at 19.5%, and disseminated TB at 9.7%. > Vitamin D deficiency was pervasive, observed consistently across all age groups and socioeconomic strata evaluated in the study.