Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children with iron-deficiency anaemia: A hospital-based cross-sectional study

Objectives

Anaemia due to iron deficiency is among the leading nutritional disorders affecting children in resource-limited settings, particularly in middle- and low-income countries. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD), while often remaining clinically silent, is now recognised to exert important extra-skeletal functions, notably in regulating erythropoiesis and iron homeostasis. An expanding body of literature points to a bidirectional and mechanistically complex relationship between iron nutritional status and vitamin D metabolism. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of VDD among children with a confirmed diagnosis of iron-deficiency anaemia. Material and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was undertaken at the Paediatrics department, Sri Chamundeshwari Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Channapatna, Karnataka, India, over a 1-year period spanning December 2024–November 2025. One hundred children under 15 years of age with confirmed iron-deficiency anaemia were enrolled. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were quantified by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Vitamin D status was categorised as deficient (<12 ng/mL), insufficient (12–20 ng/mL) or sufficient (>20 ng/mL). Associations between vitamin D status and demographic variables were assessed using the Chi-square test.