Association between vitamin D status and sepsis in children: A meta-analysis of observational studies

Summary Background The consequences of vitamin D deficiency regarding sepsis in children remain controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies evaluating the association between vitamin D status and sepsis in children. Methods We used EMBASE, Ovid Medline and Cochrane Library to conduct a meta-analysis of studies published in English before November 21, 2017. Results Among 1146 initially identified studies, we included 13 studies according to predefined inclusion criteria comprising 975 patients and 770 control participants. According to a random effects model, the mean difference in 25(OH)D levels (nmol/L) between participants with sepsis (444) and controls (528) was (mean difference, -18.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), -19.45 to -17.66, p Conclusions The association between vitamin D deficiency/lower 25(OH)D levels and sepsis was significant in children and neonates. Further studies are required to confirm the results by considering more confounders.