Fracture Risk Association with Vitamin D Levels in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Introduction A question often asked by physicians or caregivers when children sustain fractures is “Why did this happen?”. They are searching for an intervention they can make, so that the child does not sustain additional injuries. This systematic review considers the potential for vitamin D deficiency to increase the risk of fractures in children, the global incidence of which is increasing. Methods PubMed and Embase were systematically searched by two independent reviewers for case-control studies comparing the vitamin D levels of children (aged 0–18) with fractures to those of controls without fracture. Included articles were systematically reviewed and their conclusions synthesized according to a defined composite outcome measure and by structured summary. Results Twenty studies were included in the review. Eleven studies, including significantly more subjects (4,101) met the composite outcome measure, indicating a relationship between low vitamin D and fracture. Nine studies, including significantly fewer subjects (2,639), failed to meet the composite measure (p <0.001). Secondary analysis included significantly more subjects in studies demonstrating a difference in mean vitamin D between fracture patients and control than those finding no mean difference (p <0.001). Conclusions There is potentially a relationship between lower vitamin D and increased risk of fracture in children. The mean serum vitamin D of fracture patients may be lower than that of children without…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Effectiveness of Bisphosphonates and Denosumab on Risk of Vertebral Fractures in Prostate Cancer Patients Under Androgen Deprivation Therapies: A Real-World Prospective Study
- Osteoporosis-related fractures after spinal cord injury: a retrospective study from Brazil
- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and mortality in older men
- Lack of Association between Vitamin D Insufficiency and Cardiovascular or Fracture Risk: A UK Biobank Study
- Muscle strength and body composition are clinical indicators of osteoporosis
- Incidence of bone protection and associated fragility injuries in patients with proximal femur fractures
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.