Chronic Anemia In Children Linked To Vitamin D Deficiency

Anemia, a condition in which the body does not produce enough oxygen-carrying red blood cells, affects one in five children at least once in their lives. Studies have found severe vitamin D deficiency in about a tenth of U.S. children; 70 percent have suboptimal levels. Now new U.S. research has found a link between vitamin D deficiency and a child’s risk of anemia. The researchers acknowledge that their findings do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. But the study, which examined blood samples from 10,400 children, nevertheless showed that vitamin D levels were consistently lower in anemic children compared to non-anemic children. Left untreated, chronic anemia and vitamin D deficiency can lead to organ damage, skeletal deformities, frequent fractures, and premature osteoporosis.