TITLE:
Serum Vitamin D and Bone Mineral Density in Children with Growing Pain in a Tertiary Hospital of Bangladesh
AUTHORS:
Md. Asif Ali, Mujammel Haque, Mohammad Imnul Islam, Mohammad Zahirul Islam Khan, Shahana Akhter Rahman
KEYWORDS:
Growing Pain, Vitamin D, Bone Mineral Density
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.12 No.5,
November
14,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background:Growing pain (GP) is the most
common form of nonspecific, recurrent leg pain in children aged 4 - 12 years. The exact etiology of GP is not known.
However, some studies have found an association between vitamin D and Bone Mineral Status (BMD) status with GP in
their study. Objectives: To assess the serum level of vitamin D, and BMD and to determine their association with growing
pain in children. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was
conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical
University (BSMMU). Sixty children between the age of 6 - 12 years
were included in the study from March 2020 to August 2021. Children who
fulfilled the Evans criteria of GP were enrolled as cases and thirty age and
sex matched healthy children were recruited as the control
in the study. Informed written consent was obtained from patients and parents.
Serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin-D levels and BMD
were performed among cases and controls and subsequently compared to see their
association in growing pain. A preformed semi-structured questionnaire
was completed for each participant which included socio-demographic, clinical
and laboratory characteristics. Appropriate statistical tests were applied for
data analysis and performed by SPSS version 22. A p-value less than 0.05 was
considered as significant at a 95% confidence interval. Results: In this
study, 96.7% of growing pain patients had hypovitaminosis D and among them, the majority (86.7%) was vitamin D deficient. There was
a significant association between vitamin D with GP compared to healthy control. BMD was significantly lower in the lumbar vertebra (L1 - L4) and femoral neck
region (both right and left) among GP children compared to the control group. Conclusion: From this
study, it may be concluded that the majority of children with GP had
hypovitaminosis D and low BMD status compared to the control. Vitamin D deficiency and low BMD
status were significantly associated with children
with growing pain. Institutional Review Board (I.R.B.) Clearance Certificate (NO. BSMMU/2020/4503 Date: 15/03/2020) was provided from the office of the Registrar, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib
Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.