Determinant Factors of Vitamin D Levels in Down Syndrome of Indonesian Children

Down’s syndrome (DS) is a prevalent autosomal disorder that is widely observed on a global scale. Children diagnosed with DS have several environmental and hormonal factors that impact their development. Vitamin D (VD) plays a crucial role in conferring a protective effect to the human body. However, there is a scarcity of study on VD and the factors that influence its level in Indonesian Down's syndrome children. The primary purpose of this research was to examine the levels of VD and the factors that influence them among children in Indonesia diagnosed with DS. Using a cross-sectional method of Indonesian DS and control children (aged 1 month to18 years), the subjects’ VD concentration was evaluated using Elisa and classified into sufficient and non-sufficient groups based on the results. The determinant factors consisted of the subjects’ characteristics: demographic characteristics, milk intake, sun exposure, and meat consumption. Kruskal-Wallis, Chi-Squared, Spearman’s correlation, and regression tests were used for statistical analysis; outcome was considered significant if p-values <0.05. Thirty children with DS and 30 healthy controls were recruited as participants. The mean VD levels in the DS and control groups were 38.74 ng/mL and 70.109 ng/mL, respectively. The rate of VD insufficiency was 33.3% and 26.7% in the DS children and healthy controls, respectively. A significant difference in age, milk intake, body mass index, sun exposure, and meat consumption was observed (p-values lower than 0.05). The VD concentration in the DS was below the control group. The key determining factors were the level of milk consumption and exposure to sunlight.