KUMJ | VOL. 21 | NO. 4 | ISSUE 84 | OCTOBER - DECEMBER, 2023
Vitamin D Deficiency and Acute Otitis Media among Children Visiting a Tertiary Care Centre in Eastern Nepal
Dahal R, Shah SP, Mishra S, Baaniya B
Abstract: Background
There have been various studies to draw out the association between acute otitis
media (AOM) and vitamin D deficiency but the results are conflicting.
Objective
To explore the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and acute otitis media.
Method
The comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in which children aged five to
fifteen years were included. Sixty children diagnosed with acute otitis media were
kept in group A while 60 children diagnosed with conditions other than acute otitis
media were included in Group B. Then the Vitamin D level was sent in both the
groups and compared.
Result
Fifty-four participants in group A had an insufficient level of Vitamin D while six
participants had a sufficient level of Vitamin D and none had an excess level of
Vitamin D while in Group B, fiftywo participants had an insufficient level of Vitamin
D while eight participants had a sufficient level of Vitamin D. The mean vitamin D of
the cases was 22.12 ±7.896 ng/ml, and that of the controls was 22.58 ±7.056 ng/ml
for the controls (p = 0.737).
Conclusion
Both the children with acute otitis media and without acute otitis media had lower
levels of Vitamin D in similar proportions. Therefore, we can conclude that there is
no association between Vitamin D level and acute otitis media.
Keyword : Acute otitis media, Children, Vitamin D
