Lower Level of Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in Children at Diagnosis of Celiac Disease Compared with Healthy Subjects: A Case-Control Study.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the vitamin D status of children with a new diagnosis of celiac disease compared with healthy controls. Study design This was a case-control study. Cases were consecutive children with newly diagnosed celiac disease. Controls were healthy children matched for age, sex, ethnicity, and month of blood testing. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) was measured as the index of vitamin D nutritional status. The Student t test were used for comparisons. Differences in frequencies were evaluated with the χ2 test. Associations between variables were estimated by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients. Results 131 children with celiac disease were enrolled (62% females, mean age 8.1±1.1 years). The control group included 131 healthy children (62% females, mean age 8.2±1.2). All were of European origin. Plasma 25-OHD levels were significantly lower in patients than in control subjects (25.3±8.0 and 31.6±13.7 ng/ml; P Conclusion In this case-control study, at diagnosis, children with celiac disease showed lower levels of plasma 25-OHD compared with healthy subjects. Vitamin D status should be checked at diagnosis of celiac disease, particularly during summer and fall months.