Clinical value of vitamin K testing in children aged 1-2 years with vitamin D deficiency rickets

Abstract Objective: to investigate the clinical value of vitamin K testing in children with vitamin D deficiency rickets. Methods: fifty children with vitamin D deficiency rickets admitted to our hospital from March 2021 to March 2022 were recruited as the case group using convenience sampling; and an additional 50 children without bone health diseases during the same period of health checkup were selected as the control group. The relevant indexes between the two groups were compared. Results: there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in the level of 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 [25-(OH)D3], the proportion of breastfeeding, and the proportion of preterm birth (p < 0.001). The levels of vitamin K1 and K2 were lower in the case group than in the control group, and the proportion of those with vitamin K1 deficiency and vitamin K2 deficiency were higher than the control group (p < 0.001) . Positive correlations were found between vitamins K1 and K2 and 25-(OH)D3, blood calcium, and blood phosphorus (p < 0.05); artificial feeding, preterm birth, vitamin K1 deficiency, and vitamin K2 deficiency were risk factors for the development of vitamin D deficiency rickets, and the highest AUC of the combination of each index in predicting the occurrence of vitamin D deficiency rickets was 0.951 (95 % CI: 0.910-0.991). Conclusion: preterm birth, artificial feeding, and vitamin K1 and K2 deficiency are independent risk factors for bone metabolism in children with vitamin D-deficiency rickets. And these risk factors have predictive and diagnostic value in the diagnosis and management of vitamin D deficiency rickets.