Serum Vitamin D Levels in Children with Immune Thrombocytopenia

Objective: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired immuno-mediated disorder characterized by thrombocytopenia with an increased risk of bleeding. In recent years 1,25[OH]2D3 has been rediscovered as an immune modulator. We decided to evaluate serum Vitamin D levels in a cohort of children with immune thrombocytopenia in order to discover if Vitamin D concentrations may predict ITP duration. Methods: Thirty children were enrolled in this study (sixteen with chronic ITP and fourteen with newly diagnosed ITP) to assess serum Vitamin D levels. Results: The results showed that 80% of the enrolled children presented a D hypovitaminosis status. Children with newly diagnosis ITP showed no statistically significantly higher median values of Vitamin D compared to chronic ITP. Conclusion: This study may suggest that Vitamin D deficiency does not represent a chronicity factor for ITP. However, further studies are needed to understand the role of Vitamin D in ITP pathogenesis.