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BackgroundChildren living in sub-Saharan Africa have a high burden of rickets and infectious diseases, conditions that are linked to vitamin D deficiency. However, data on the vitamin D status of young African children and its environmental and genetic predictors are limited. We aimed to examine the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency in young African children.MethodsWe measured 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and typed the single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs4588 and rs7041, in the GC gene encoding the vitamin D binding protein (DBP) in 4509 children aged 0-8 years living in Kenya, Uganda, Burkina Faso, The Gambia and South Africa. We evaluated associations between vitamin D status and country, age, sex, season, anthropometric indices, inflammation, malaria and DBP haplotypes in regression analyses.ResultsMedian age was 23.9 months (interquartile range [IQR] 12.3, 35.9). Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency using 25(OH)D cut-offs of ConclusionsApproximately 0.6% and 7.8% of young African children were vitamin D deficient as defined by 25(OH)D levels

Original publication

DOI

10.1186/s12916-021-01985-8

Type

Journal article

Journal

BMC medicine

Publication Date

20/05/2021

Volume

19

Addresses

Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Centre for Geographic Medicine Coast, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya. reaganmoseti@gmail.com.

Keywords

Humans, Vitamin D Deficiency, Vitamin D, Vitamin D-Binding Protein, Prevalence, Seasons, Haplotypes, Adult, Child, Child, Preschool, South Africa, Young Adult