IAP Recommends Practice Guideline For Pediatricians

Changing lifestyles with sedentary behaviour in children with indoor lifestyle further reduce the sunlight exposure and thus increase the tendency for vitamin D deficiency. Further, very few Indian foods are fortified with vitamin D, and that too, with small amounts. Premature babies and children with renal, hepatic disorders, malabsorptive states, etc. are at special risk for metabolic bone disease. Hence Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) has put forth recommendations for prevention and treatment of vitamin D and calcium deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is being increasingly reported from India from all age-groups. Reports suggest that VDD affects all age groups, from neonates to adolescents. Further, habitually low calcium intakes are also reported in Indian children. Given the multiple guidelines, peculiarities of Indian circumstances, changing lifestyles, and lack of fortification, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) felt the need for a Practice Guideline for Pediatricians for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D and calcium deficiency in children and adolescents.

The ‘Guideline for Vitamin D and Calcium in Children’ committee was formed by the IAP in September 2016 under the leadership of Dr Pramod Jog, President Indian Academy of Pediatrics. Other members of the committee include Dr Anuradha Khadilkar and Dr Vaman Khadilkar as Co-Convenes; Dr Jagdish Chinnappa, Dr Narendra Rathi, Dr Rajesh Khadgawat, Dr S Balasubramanian, Dr Bakul Parekh as members. A consultative committee meeting was held in November 2016 in Mumbai.

The committee looked at the evidence from Indian and international studies and other previous published recommendations, which were pertinent to the Indian circumstances, were collated for the preparation of these guidelines. All members satisfy the authorship criteria.