Dr. Kate Madden, M.D., and her colleagues from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston evaluated 511 children, all of whom were severely or critically ill, and who had been admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for treatment between November 2009 and November 2010. Each of the children was also given a blood test, which was evaluated for concentrations of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D), a marker that is considered to be the most accurate indicator of vitamin D levels.
"We found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill children, which was associated with higher critical illness severity," wrote the authors. "Vitamin D is essential for bone health and for cardiovascular and immune function. In critically ill adults, vitamin D deficiency is common and associated with sepsis and with higher critical illness severity." (Pediatrics)