Nutritional status and vitamin D intake in children with severe AD

Relevance of topic. Atopic dermatitis is a wide-spread skin disease that can significantly reduce patient’s quality of life. Many authors around the globe conduct research to find correlation between atopic detmatitis in children, their growth, development of allergic comorbidities (food allergy in particular) and elimination diet prescription.

Aim of the study. To estimate growth indices and nutritional status in children with severe atopic dermatitis and allergic comorbidities on the elimination diet.

Methods. This study included children of age 0-17 years 11 months, hospitalized in Dermatology with the Laser Surgery department in the National Medical Research Centre of Children’s Health from September 2020 to May 2021. Anthropometric indices, levels of serum vitamin D, albumin, hemoglobin and total IgE were estimated in all children.

Results. This study included 80 children. There was a moderate negative correlation between the number of excluded food groups, the disease longitude (p = 0.003; r = -0.333) and HAZ (p = 0.010; r = -0.351). There was a moderate negative correlation between the age of children and serum vitamin D (p = 0.040; r = -0.317) and a moderate positive - between BAZ and serum vitamin D (p = 0.030; r = 0.332). There was a weak negative correlation between serum vitamin D and total serum IgE (p = 0.033; r = -0.239) and between BAZ and serum hemoglobin (p = 0.028; r = 0.246).

Conclusions. The results of this study demonstrate a low intake of vitamin D in children with severe atopic dermatitis, worsening with age. Vitamin D level correlated with BAZ, also the results showed lower vitamin D intake in children with high levels of total Ig E.

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