Vitamin D Deficiency in Children – Epidemiology, Health Consequences and Prevention. A Review of the Literature

For many years, a succession of scientific studies and publications have confirmed the significant impact vitamin D has on the functioning of the human body. It is responsible for a range of biological processes, acting as a multifunctional hormone or prohormone; it regulates the immune system, influences hormonal balance, calcium and phosphate metabolism, and even mental functioning. In the case of the paediatric population, on which we focus our review, proper physical development and growth are of paramount importance. It is widely recognised that the aforementioned processes are essential for this. Our review is based on numerous publications addressing the issue of vitamin D deficiency and its impact on child development. We describe the general problem, current statistics, the mechanism of synthesis and absorption of the active form of vitamin D, and the impact of deficiency on specific aspects of bodily function. The paper also includes current guidelines on vitamin D supplementation for the Polish population.