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Vitamin D deficiency may impact frequency of S. aureus SSTIs
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Children with insufficient levels of vitamin D were more likely to present with recurrent Staphylococcus aureus skin or soft tissue infections, according to recent study findings.
Jeffrey W. Wang, BS, of the department of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine, and colleges hypothesized that children with recurrent SSTI have lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-[OH]D) levels compared with those presenting with an initial SSTI.
The study included 202 healthy children with a mean age of 7.6 years recruited from the St. Louis Children’s Hospital between August 2008 and September 2011. Ninety-seven children were black and 53% female.
Children were divided into three groups: Primary SSTI (n=86), recurrent SSTI (n=62) or invasive disease (n=54). Out of the 202 children included in the analysis, 37% were vitamin D deficient and 35% insufficient vs. 29% of children with sufficient levels.
Overall mean 25-(OH) D level was 23.7 ng/mL. The overall mean levels for those with a primary SSTI was 24.3 ng/mL, 23.8 ng/mL for recurrent SSTI and 22.6 ng/mL for children with invasive infections.
Children in the oldest age group (13 years to 22 years) had the highest levels of vitamin D deficiency (63%) when compared with those in the 7 years to 12 years age group (36%) and those aged younger than 7 years (20%; P<.001).
Moreover, higher levels of 25-(OH) D deficiency was more common among blacks vs. whites (56% vs. 19%; P<.001). Compared with 28% of children presenting with SSTIs during the spring and summer, 50% of children with SSTIs during the fall and winter were more likely to have 25-(OH) D deficiency (P<.001).
“The current observational study supports a plausible association between 25-(OH) D levels and host susceptibility to S. aureus SSTIs,” the researchers wrote. “Consistent with other studies, [black] race was associated with hypovitaminosis D. The increased melatonin content of [black] skin affects UV absorption, subsequently yielding lower vitamin D stores.”
Disclosure: The study was funded by the Children’s Discovery Institute of Washington University and St. Louise Children’s Hospital and grants from the NIH and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. One researcher reports serving on the scientific advisory board of BioVersys AG.
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