Inappropriate supplementation of Vitamin D can result in toxicity: a cross-sectional study of paediatrics population Authors Nazia Shamim Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, The Aga khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Hafsa Majid Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Aga khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Suneeta Khemani Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, The Aga khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Maliha Salim Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, The Aga khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Siraj Muneer Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Aga khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Aysha Habib Khan Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Aga khan University, Karachi, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.5512 Abstract Objective: To evaluate children with suspected or definite hypervitaminosis D with respect to prevalence, clinical manifestations and pharmacological aspects. Method: The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised medical records from January 1 to December 31, 2018, of children aged <18 years with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels >50ng/ml. Clinical and pharmacological data was retrieved. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Results: Of the 118,149 subjects visiting the clinical laboratory during the study period, children tested for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were 16,316(13.8%) who had a median age of 9.78 years (interquartile range: 10.2 years). Children who registered for consultation were 2720(16.6%), and, out of them, 602(22%) had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D >50ng/ml. The median 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and age were 70.1ng/ml (interquartile range: 100ng/ml) and 3.1 years (interquartile range: 17.93 years), respectively, and 345(57.3%) of them were boys. Children supplemented with vitamin D were 197(33.1%) and 193(97.9%) of them were prescribed by physicians. Mega-doses were taken by 68(34.17%), while the remaining had used various combinations in syrup or tablet forms. Commonly prescribed mega-doses were 600,000IU 30((44.1%) and 200,000IU 31(45.5%) injections of vitamin D. The primary indications were pains/aches in 51(25.8%) cases, developmental delay 50(25.3%), and vitamin D deficiency 49(24.8%). The main symptoms of hypervitaminosis D or toxicity were abdominal pain 27(13.7%) and constipation 31(15.7%). Conclusions: Children should be given vitamin D supplements with caution as prolonged supplementation and repeated mega-doses can result in toxicity which may cause serious consequences. Key Words: Vitamin D deficiency, Vitamin D supplements, Hypervitaminosis D, Vitamin D toxicity. Published 2023-03-04 How to Cite Shamim, N., Majid, H., Khemani, S., Salim, M., Muneer, S., & Khan, A. H. (2023). Inappropriate supplementation of Vitamin D can result in toxicity: a cross-sectional study of paediatrics population. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 73(3), 500–505. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.5512 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 73 No. 3 (2023): March Section RESEARCH ARTICLE