Effectiveness and safety of vitamin D use in pediatric practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2025.2(146).8795Keywords:
vitamin D, children, treatment, prevention, allergic diseases, respiratory diseasesAbstract
The review article presents data from modern studies confirming the multifaceted effect of vitamin D in the human body.
Aim - to summarize the scientific literature regarding the efficacy and safety of vitamin D use in pediatric practice.
It has been proven that receptors for the vitamin are present in most organs and tissues of the body. This confirms the importance of vitamin D not only in the processes of bone formation, but also in many of its extra-skeletal effects. Vitamin D affects the modulation of cell growth, neuromuscular conduction, has an anti-inflammatory effect, and is also an important stimulator of innate immunity due to the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides. Many studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is characteristic of most children with respiratory infections and allergic diseases. Good preventive and therapeutic efficacy of vitamin D in acute and recurrent respiratory diseases, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and other pathological conditions in children and good tolerability of vitamin D have been revealed. To obtain the effect of vitamin D use, serum 25(OH)D concentrations should be maintained above 30-40 ng/ml (75-100 nmol/l).
The use of Detrimax® is considered beneficial due to its safety profile (absence of harmful additives such as benzyl alcohol, emulsifiers, stabilizing agents, etc.); high bioavailability (thanks to its oil-based formulation); user convenience (pump dispenser and small capsule size); and a wide dosage range, which is important for individualized treatment in clinical settings.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
Amon U, Yaguboglu R, Ennis M, Holick MF, Amon J. (2022) Safety Data in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases during Treatment with High Doses of Vitamin D3 According to the "Coimbra Protocol". Nutrients. 14: 1575. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14081575; PMid:35458137 PMCid:PMC9033096
Amorim C, Oliveira JM, Rodrigues A, Furlanetto KC, Pitta F. (2020). Vitamin D: association with eosinophil counts and IgE levels in children with asthma. Jornal brasileiro de pneumologia: publicacao oficial da Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisilogia. 47(1): e20200279. https://doi.org/10.36416/1806-3756/e20200279; PMid:33174974 PMCid:PMC7889310
Antipkin YG, Kvashnina LV, Omelchenko LI. (2017). Justification of vitamin D doses for the prevention of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D-deficient conditions in healthy children of different ages. Information sheet No. 63. Kyiv.
Aribi M, Mennechet FJD, Touil-Boukoffa C. (2023) Editorial: the role of vitamin D as an immunomodulator. Front Immunol. 14: 1186635. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1186635; PMid:37056773 PMCid:PMC10086413
Brustad M, Meyer H. (2023). Vitamin D - a scoping review for Nordic nutrition recommendations 2023. Food Nutr Res. 13: 67. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v67.10230; PMid:38084153 PMCid:PMC10710863
Brustad N, Yousef S, Stokholm J, Bønnelykke K, Bisgaard H, Chawes BL. (2022). Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation Among Children Aged 0 to 6 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 5(4): e227410. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.7410; PMid:35420658 PMCid:PMC9011124
Burgard L, Spiegler C, Jansen S, Brettschneider AK, Straßburg A, Alexy U et al. (2025, Feb 17). Critical vitamin D and iron intakes in infants aged 6-11 months: results from the nationwide German KiESEL study. Front Nutr. 12: 1472685. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1472685; PMid:40034734 PMCid:PMC11872716
Carboo JA, Dolman-Macleod RC, Malan L, Lombard MJ. (2024, Apr 12). High-dose oral vitamin D supplementation for preven-tion of infections in children aged 0 to 59 months: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 82(5): 579-599. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad082; PMid:37428896 PMCid:PMC11009788
Cariolou M, Cupp MA, Evangelou E, Tzoulaki I, BerlangaTaylor AJ. (2019). Importance of vitamin D in acute and critically ill children with subgroup analyses of sepsis and respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and metaanalysis. BMJ Open. 22; 9(5): e027666. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027666; PMid:31122993 PMCid:PMC6538078
Cui A, Zhang T, Xiao P, Fan Z, Wang H, Zhuang Y. (2023). Global and regional prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in population-based studies from 2000 to 2022: A pooled analysis of 7.9 million participants. Front. Nutr. 10: 1070808. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1070808; PMid:37006940 PMCid:PMC10064807
Darraj H, Hakami KM, Maghrabi R, Bakri N, Alhazmi MH, Names AA et al. (2023). Nutritional Rickets Among Children: A Retrospective Study from Saudi Arabia. Pediatric Health Med Ther. 14: 301-08. https://doi.org/10.2147/PHMT.S425459; PMid:37849986 PMCid:PMC10577373
Dewi MM, Imron A, Risan NA, Mediana G, Judistiani RTD, Setiabudiawan B. (2025, Jan 6). The Association of Vitamin D, Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), and Glial Cell-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) with Development in Children. Children (Basel). 12(1): 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12010060; PMid:39857891 PMCid:PMC11763926
Doumat G, El Zein J, Mehta GD, Zhu Z, Espinola JA, Sullivan AF et al. (2025, Feb 17). Association between vitamin D status at 3 years and eosinophilic asthma in 6-year-old children with a history of severe bronchiolitis. Thorax. 80(3): 180-183. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2024-222099; PMid:39762022 PMCid:PMC11832317
Esfandiar N, Alaei F, Fallah S et al. (2016). Vitamin D deficiency and its impact on asthma severity in asthmatic children. Ital J Pediatr. 42: 108. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-016-0300-5; PMid:27987538 PMCid:PMC5164917
Grant WB, Wimalawansa SJ, Pludowski P, Cheng RZ. (2025, Jan 14). Vitamin D: Evidence-Based Health Benefits and Recommendations for Population Guidelines. Nutrients. 17(2): 277. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17020277; PMid:39861407 PMCid:PMC11767646
Grossman Z, Hadjipanayis A, Stiris T, Del Torso S, Mercier JC et al. (2017) Vitamin D in European children-statement from the European academy of Paediatrics (EAP). Eur J Pediatr. 176(6): 829-831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-017-2903-2; PMid:28401345
Helmeczi E, Pandya H, O'Hearn K, McNally D, Britz-McKibbin P. (2025, Mar 9). Treatment response variations to a single large bolus of enteral cholecalciferol in vitamin D deficient critically Ill children: Metabolomic insights for precision nutrition. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 250: 106720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2025.106720; PMid:40064426
Hendrych J, Havránek P, Bayer M, Čepelík M, Pešl T. (2024, Nov 16). The effect of vitamin D on the speed and quality of pediatric fracture healing. J Child Orthop. 19(1): 29-47. https://doi.org/10.1177/18632521241299624; PMid:39563984 PMCid:PMC11571150
Kim MJ, Kim SN, Lee YW, Choe YB, Ahn KJ. (2016). Vitamin D Status and Efficacy of Vitamin D Supplementation in Atopic Dermatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 8(12): 789. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8120789; PMid:27918470 PMCid:PMC5188444
Kristiansen AL, Myhre JB, Øyri LKL, Holven KB, Andersen LF. (2025, Feb 5). Vitamin D status in Norwegian children and associations between child vitamin D status, dietary factors, and maternal vitamin D status. Food Nutr Res. 69. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v69.10727; PMid:39974838 PMCid:PMC11836780
Labib JR, Ibrahem SK, Ismail MM, Fatah SAMAE, Sedrak AS, Attia MAS et al. (2021, Apr 2). Vitamin D supplementation and improvement of pneumonic children at a tertiary pediatric hospital in Egypt: A randomized controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 100(13): e25011. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000025011; PMid:33787584 PMCid:PMC8021283
Lee YW, Choon SE, Izham S. (2019). Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in Malaysian children with severe atopic dermatitis. The Medical journal of Malaysia. 74 (4): 259-265.
Lei WT, Huang KY, Jhong JH, Chen CH, Weng SL. (2021, Feb 3). Metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiome composition associated with vitamin D supplementation in Taiwanese infants. Sci Rep. 11(1): 2856. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82584-8; PMid:33536562 PMCid:PMC7859236
Levita J, Wilar G, Wahyuni I et al. (2023, Jul 24). Clinical toxicology of vitamin D in pediatrics: a review and case reports. Toxics. 11(7): 642. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11070642; PMid:37505607 PMCid:PMC10385357
Liu J, Dong YQ, Yin J, Yao J, Shen J, Sheng GJ et al. (2019). Meta-analysis of vitamin D and lung function in patients with asthma. Respiratory research. 20 (1): 161. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-019-1072-4; PMid:31590675 PMCid:PMC6781357
Manole A, Mărcuț LF, Cârciumaru R, Manole F. (2025, Feb 20). Preventing Recurrent Otitis Media in Children Aged 2-7 Years: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Serum Vitamin D as a Modifiable Factor. Diagnostics (Basel). 15(5): 519. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15050519; PMid:40075767 PMCid:PMC11898411
Martineau AR, Jolliffe DA, Hooper RL, Greenberg L, Aloia JF, Bergman P et al. (2017). Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and metaanalysis of individual par ticipant data. BMJ. 356: i6583. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6583; PMid:28202713 PMCid:PMC5310969
Marushko YuV, Hyshchak TV. (2021). Prevention of vitamin D deficiency in children. The state of the problem in Ukraine and the world. Modern pediatrics. Ukraine. 116(4): 36-45. https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2021.116.36
Marushko YuV, Hyshchak TV, Yesipova SI, Boyko NS. (2022). Vitamin D sufficiency and the impact of its deficiency on the course of allergic diseases in children. Modern Pediatrics. Ukraine. 126(6): 101-108. https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2022.126.101
Marushko YuV, Yesipova SI, Hyshchak TV. (2021). The influence of vitamin D supply on the course of acute respiratory infections in children. Modern Pediatrics. Ukraine. 119(7): 73-80. https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2021.119.73
Marushko Y, Yesypova S, Hyschak T. (2023). The effect of vitamin D supplements on the frequency and course of recurrent respiratory diseases in children. Child health. 18(5): 345-351. https://doi.org/10.22141/2224-0551.18.5.2023.1612
McCullough PJ, Lehrer DS, Amend J. (2019). Daily oral dosing of vitamin D3 using 5000 TO 50,000 international units a day in long-term hospitalized patients: Insights from a seven year experience. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 189: 228-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2018.12.010; PMid:30611908
Ministry of Health of Ukraine. (2023). Prevention and treatment of nutritional rickets. Clinical guideline. Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 730 dated 04/17/2023. URL: https://www.dec.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023_730_kn_rahit_ok.pdf.
Naumova OO, Zabrodska LV, Kalynyuk VM. (2024). Vitamin D deficiency in patients with allergic rhinitis and its correction. Educational and practical journal Allergy Practice. 4: 51-57.
O'Hearn K, Menon K, Weiler HA, Amrein K, Fergusson D, Gunz A et al. (2023). A phase II dose evaluation pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial of cholecalciferol in critically Ill children with vitamin D deficiency (VITdAL-PICU study). BMC Pediatr. 23(1): 397. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-023-04205-9; PMid:37580663 PMCid:PMC10424361
Oktaria V, Danchin M, Triasih R, Soenarto Y, Bines JE, Ponsonby AL et al. (2021). The incidence of acute respiratory infection in Indonesian infants and association with vitamin D deficiency. PLoS One. 16(3): e0248722. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248722; PMid:33755666 PMCid:PMC7987198
Oristrell J, Oliva JC, Casado E, Subirana I, Dominguez D, Toloba A et al. (2022) Vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19 risk: A population-based, cohort study. J. Endocrinol. Investig. 45: 167-179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-021-01639-9; PMid:34273098 PMCid:PMC8285728
Perestiuk V, Kosovska T, Dyvoniak O, Volianska L, Boyarchuk O. (2025, Feb 14). Vitamin D status in children with COVID-19: does it affect the development of long COVID and its symptoms? Front Pediatr. 13: 1507169. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2025.1507169; PMid:40046855 PMCid:PMC11881026
Pham H, Rahman A, Majidi A, Waterhouse M, Neale RE. (2019). Acute Respiratory Tract Infection and 25Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration: A Systematic Review and MetaAnalysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 16(17): 3020. Published 2019 Aug 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16173020; PMid:31438516 PMCid:PMC6747229
Pludowski P, Grant WB, Karras SN, Zittermann A, Pilz S. (2024) Vitamin D Supplementation: A Review of the Evidence Arguing for a Daily Dose of 2000 International Units (50 microg) of Vitamin D for Adults in the General Population. Nutrients. 16: 391. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16030391; PMid:38337676 PMCid:PMC10857599
Rehman B, Memon F, Humayun KN, Arif M. (2025, Jan 27). Rare presentation of vitamin D toxicity with hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep. 2025(1): e240132. https://doi.org/10.1530/EDM-24-0132; PMid:39868552 PMCid:PMC11811824
Rusińska A, Płudowski P, Walczak M, Borszewska-Kornacka MK, Bossowski A, Chlebna-Sokół D et al. (2018) Vitamin D Sup-plementation Guidelines for General Pop-ulation and Groups at Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency in Poland-Recommendations of the Polish Society of Pediatric Endo-crinology and Diabetes and the Expert Panel With Participation of National Spe-cialist Consultants and Representatives of Scientific Societies-2018 Update. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 9: 246. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00246; PMid:29904370 PMCid:PMC5990871
Saad K, Abdelmoghny A, Aboul-Khair MD, Abdel-Raheem YF, Gad EF, Hammour AE et al. (2020). Vitamin D Status in Egyptian Children with Allergic Rhinitis. Ear Nose Throat J: 99(8): 508-512. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145561319850814; PMid:31088298
Segovia-Ortí R, Barceló Bennasar A, De Sotto-Esteban D et al. (2021). Association between vitamin D status and allergen sensitization in pediatric subjects in the Balearic Islands. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 32: 1183-1189. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.13513; PMid:33811785
Selska ZV. (2016) Experience in the use of vitamin D3 in the complex therapy of atopic dermatitis in children. Sovremennaya pediatriya. 3(75): 94-96. https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2016.75.94
Sharif A, Haddad Kashani H, Sharif MR. (2020). Association of 25-hydroxy vitamin D with asthma and its severity in children: a case-control study. Clinical and molecular allergy: CMA. 18: 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12948-020-00122-9; PMid:32390767 PMCid:PMC7197187
Silva ICJ, Lazaretti-Castro M. (2022) Vi-tamin D metabolism and extraskeletal outcomes: an update. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 66(5): 748-55.13. https://doi.org/10.20945/2359-3997000000565; PMid:36382764 PMCid:PMC10118817
Simon AE, Ahrens KA. (2022). Adherence to Vitamin D Intake Guidelines in the United States. Pediatrics. 2020; 145: e20193574. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-3574; PMid:32424077 PMCid:PMC7263053
Tibrewal C, Modi N, Bajoria PS et al. (2023). Therapeutic Potential of Vitamin D in Management of Asthma: A Literature Review. Cureus. 15(7): e41956. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.41956
Tyazhka OV, Selska ZV. (2013). Vitamin D status in children with allergic diseases in the spring-summer period International. Journal of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology. 4(3): 12-17.
Unsur EK. (2021, Jan 26). Vitamin D levels of the healthy infants using oral spray or drop form of vitamin D supplement in the first year of life. North Clin Istanb. 8(1): 31-36.
Wang X, Lu K, Shen J, Xu S, Wang Q, Gong Y et al. (2023) Correlation between meteorological factors and vitamin D status under different season. Sci Rep. 13: 4762. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-31698-2; PMid:36959344 PMCid:PMC10036626
Wang Y, Yang Z, Gao L, Cao Z, Wang Q. (2020, Jun). Effects of a single dose of vitamin D in septic children: a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial. J. Int. Med. Res. 48(6): 300060520926890. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060520926890; PMid:32485124 PMCid:PMC7273772
White JH. (2022) Emerging Roles of Vitamin D-Induced Antimicrobial Peptides in Antiviral Innate Immunity. Nutrients. 14: 284. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14020284; PMid:35057465 PMCid:PMC8779757
Wimalawansa SJ. (2022). Rapidly Increasing Serum 25(OH)D Boosts the Immune System, against Infections-Sepsis and COVID-19. Nutrients. 14: 2977. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14142997; PMid:35889955 PMCid:PMC9319502
Wimalawansa SJ. (2023) Physiological Basis for Using Vitamin D to Improve Health. Biomedicines. 11: 1542. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11061542; PMid:37371637 PMCid:PMC10295227
Wimalawansa SJ, Weiss ST, Hollis BW. (2024) Integrating Endocrine, Genomic, and Extra-Skeletal Benefits of Vitamin D into National and Regional Clinical Guidelines. Nutrients. 16: 3969. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16223969; PMid:39599755 PMCid:PMC11597479
Wolters M, Foraita R, Moreno LA, Molnár D, Russo P, Tornaritis M et al. (2024, Dec). IDEFICS and I.Family consortia. Longitudinal associations between vitamin D status and biomarkers of inflammation in a pan-European cohort of children and adolescents. Eur J Nutr. 63(8): 3047-3060. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-024-03488-7; PMid:39231874 PMCid:PMC11519216
Wu J, Zhong Y, Shen X, Yang K, Cai W. (2018, May 31). Maternal and early-life vitamin D deficiency enhances allergic reaction in an ovalbumin-sensitized BALB/c mouse model. Food & nutrition research. 62. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v62.1401; PMCid:PMC5985744
Yesipova SI, Marushko YuV, Hyshchak TV. (2023) Modern protocols for the use of vitamin D in children for preventive and therapeutic purposes. Family Medicine. European practices. (4): 68-75. https://doi.org/10.30841/2786-720X.4.2023.297039
Zeeb H, Brand T, Lissner L, Lauria F, Molnár D, Veidebaum T et al. (2025, Feb 11). IDEFICS and I.Family consortia. Vitamin D status and muscle strength in a pan-European cohort of children and adolescents with normal weight and overweight/obesity. Eur J Pediatr. 184(2): 190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-025-06024-9; PMid:39934522 PMCid:PMC11814003
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Modern pediatrics. Ukraine
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The policy of the Journal “MODERN PEDIATRICS. UKRAINE” is compatible with the vast majority of funders' of open access and self-archiving policies. The journal provides immediate open access route being convinced that everyone – not only scientists - can benefit from research results, and publishes articles exclusively under open access distribution, with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 international license (СС BY-NC).
Authors transfer the copyright to the Journal “MODERN PEDIATRICS. UKRAINE” when the manuscript is accepted for publication. Authors declare that this manuscript has not been published nor is under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere. After publication, the articles become freely available on-line to the public.
Readers have the right to use, distribute, and reproduce articles in any medium, provided the articles and the journal are properly cited.
The use of published materials for commercial purposes is strongly prohibited.
