American Academy of Pediatrics

AAP 2024: Low vitamin D linked to slower fracture healing in kids

October 3, 2024

Low vitamin D levels in pediatric patients are associated with prolonged clinical and radiographic healing times for lower-extremity fractures, according to findings presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting.

The retrospective study examined 166 pediatric patients (mean age, 7.9 years; 62% male) with 187 lower-extremity fractures, focusing on the impact of vitamin D levels on healing times.

Patients with low vitamin D levels had significantly longer healing times relative to those with normal levels: clinical healing took 44 vs. 37 days, and radiographic healing took 74 vs. 39 days. Surgical patients with low vitamin D levels had similar delays in healing clinically (83 vs. 50 days) and radiographically (203 vs. 88 days). Lack of vitamin D supplementation in patients with low vitamin D was associated with longer radiographic healing times compared with those with normal vitamin D (69 vs. 38 days).

Source:

(2024, September 27). American Academy of Pediatrics. Low vitamin D levels in pediatric patients linked to slow healing process. [News release]. https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2024/low-vitamin-d-levels-in-pediatric-patients-linked-to-slow-healing-process/