Profile of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D in Rural Schoolchildren in Raigad, India
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Profile of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D in Rural Schoolchildren in Raigad, India
the other hand, the meat of black crabs is a rich source of vitamin B12, and half-cooked crab and fish is a staple food for people of the tribal community in the region of school D. In the present report, we found that contrary to the previous reports that vitamin B12 deficiency is rare in children, it is in fact not that uncommon [1,3]. However, fortification of food with folic acid solely, in a patient of unrecognized vitamin B12 deficiency, has the potential for causing harmful effects in the patient [5]. Low vitamin D levels could possibly be due to a lack of exposure to sunlight. It is interesting to note that 66% of school children in school A, had supra-normal vitamin D. One of the possible factors could be that this school is situated at a hilltop and has sufficient direct sunlight exposure throughout the year, contrary to the situation in other schools in this study.
Deficiency of vitamin B12 and vitamin D is reported to be common in India [1,2]. Vitamin B12 deficiency is especially common in vegetarian families [3]. The prevalence of ferritin, folate and vitamin B12 deficiency was reported to be 54.5%, 42.5% and 67.2%, respectively in Delhi [4]. In rural India, serum vitamin B12 and Vitamin D profile of children may be different due to differences in dietary practices. We herein share our data on serum vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels among children in selected schools of Raigad district. Two hundred children between the ages of 5 and 15 years (42.9% females) from the five selected schools had 5 mL of blood collected for hemoglobin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D measurement. Written informed consent was obtained from parents prior to the data collection, and all procedures were as per the Helsinki Declaration, as revised in 2013. Samples were transported to the study laboratory in Mumbai by maintaining a continuous cold chain. Children were classified as per the socio-economic status of their parents (Kuppuswamy classification) and their routine dietary habits (24-hour dietary recall).
We conclude that vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels in various communities may differ due to local conditions, which need to be identified and addressed for a lasting solution. HIMMATRAO SALUBA BAWASKAR* AND PRAMODINI HIMMATRAO BAWAKSAR Bawaskar Hospital and Clinical Research Center, Mahad Raigad, Maharashtra, India. *[email protected] REFERENCES 1. Saidharan PK. B12 deficiency in India. Archives of Medical and Health Science. 2017;5:261-8. 2. Bawaskar PH, Bawaskar HS, Pawaskar PH, Pakhare AP. Profile of vitamin D in patients attending at general hospital Mahad, India. Indian J Endocr Metab. 2017;21:125-30. 3. Stabler SP. Vitamin B12 deficiency. NEJM. 2013;368:14960. 4. Kapil U, Sareen N. Prevalence of ferritin, folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies amongst children in 5-15 years of age in Delhi. Indian J Pediatr. 2014;81:312-3. 5. Dickinson CJ. Does folic acid harm people with vitamin B12 deficiency? QJM. 1995;88:357-64.
Vitamin B12 defic
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