The effect of prolonged vitamin D and bone minerals on the condition of bone density in initially prematures infants with extremely low birth weight in their first years of life
Abstract
In recent years there has been a rapid epidemic increase in the incidence of osteoporo-sis. Many children around the world have inadequately low calcium intake with the risk of precocious osteoporosis later in their lives.
Secondary osteoporosis occurs sometimes even in babies and young adults and growing population of premature infants are prone to develope osteopathy of prematurity. Survival of premature infants raised considerably in the last twenty years even in the group of extremely prematurity, i . e . newborns weighing less than 1000 g.
Calcium and vitamin D metabolism is controlled by a complex of hu-moral regulatory mechanisms. In the modern intensive neonatological care a lot of very premature infants survive and this is why the issue is particularly important in lifelong perspective of good bone quality.
This study showed how supplementation with vitamin D and bone minerals (calcium and phosphate) raised the vitamin D level in serum (25OH-D) for long time and decreased the incidence of osteopathy of prematurity at 6 months. The bone density increased significantly at 2 and 3 years in the study subgroup.