Vitamin D status and hospitalisation for childhood acute lower respiratory tract infections in Nigeria

AbstractBackground:Acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) is the leading cause of childhood deaths in most developing countries, including Nigeria. Vitamin D is associated with innate immunity and may play a role in the control of infections. Case–control studies, including a small study from Nigeria, show inconsistent results for the association between vitamin D status and risk of ALRTI.Aims:To examine the relationship between vitamin D status and hospitalization for ALRTI in Nigerian children.Methods:Fifty children aged 2–60 months hospitalised with ALRTI were studied prospectively. ALRTI was diagnosed on the basis of modified WHO criteria. Each patient was matched with controls for age and gender. The controls were enrolled either from children attending well-child clinics or general clinics without evidence of respiratory infection or admitted to the hospital for elective surgery. A structured questionnaire collected data on demography, health, diet, duration of exposure to sunlight and perc...