Vitamin D3 deficiency in babies and children with cholestasis

Background: Cholestasis, also known as prolonged jaundice, is characterized by a reduction in bile flow. Vitamin D-3 is a fat-soluble vitamin whose absorption is affected by bile acids passing through the bile ducts. The primary objective was to determine the clinical utility of serum vitamin D-3 in infants and children with cholestasis. Materials and Methods: Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, vitamin D-3 levels in the blood serum of sixty patients with cholestasis, twenty patients with non-cholestatic causes, and twenty-five healthy subjects ranging in age from one day to fourteen years were determined. Results: Comparing intra- and extra-hepatic cholestasis groups to the control group, intra- and extra-hepatic cholestasis groups showed a highly significant decrease in serum vitamin D-3 (P<0.001), while there was no significant difference between the control and non-cholestatic jaundiced groups (P= 0.069), and there was no significant difference between the old and newly diagnosed intra-hepatic cholestatic groups (p = 0.627). Conclusion: The amount of vitamin D-3 in the serum of those with extra-hepatic cholestasis is lower than those with intra-hepatic cholestasis, indicating a poor prognosis for cholestasis illness.