Vitamin D Plays Role in Prevention of RSV Infection in Infants

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important pathogen that causes lower respiratory tract infections in infants. A study in the June 2011 issue of Pediatrics finds that infants who are deficient in vitamin D at birth have a higher risk of developing RSV.

The study, "Cord Blood Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Lower Respiratory Tract Infection," published online May 9, measured the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the cord blood plasma of 156 newborns in the Netherlands. Researchers found that 54 percent of healthy newborns were born with insufficient vitamin D, and 18 infants (12 percent) developed RSV lower respiratory tract infections in the first year of life.

Infants with low concentrations of vitamin D had six times the risk of developing RSV infections compared to infants with the highest levels of vitamin D. Only 46 percent of women in the study reported using supplements that contained vitamin D during pregnancy.

Study authors suggest that larger clinical trials should examine the effect of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy on the risk of RSV infections in newborns.