Effects of early vitamin D supplementation on the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants

Abstract Background Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a respiratory dysfunction caused by poor lung bronchial development, which may lead to long‐term lung disease, threatening the lives of children. Studies have shown that premature infants with low vitamin D are highly associated with BPD. In this study, we aim to obtain insights into whether early vitamin D supplementation could prevent BPD in preterm infants. Methods A total of 112 preterm infants were randomly divided into two groups: the control and vitamin D supplementation (VD) group. The VD group received vitamin D (800 IU/day) within 48 h at birth for consecutively 28 days. The serum levels of 25(OH)D 3 and C‐reactive protein (CRP), IL6, and TNF‐ α were measured using ELISA assay. The arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2 ) and carbon dioxide (PaCO 2 ) was measured using an i‐STAT analyzer. Results The occurrence of BPD was decreased in the VD group compared with the control. The decreased serum 25(OH)D 3 was significantly elevated by supplementation with vitamin D. In addition, the serum inflammation factors (CRP, IL6, and TNF‐α) were significantly reduced by vitamin D supplementation. Conclusion We demonstrated that early vitamin D supplementation could significantly reduce BPD incidence in preterm infants. We showed that early vitamin D supplementation could significantly increase serum level of 25(OH)D 3 and reduce inflammatory response thereby preventing and reducing neonatal BPD. Limitation Firstly, a larger sample size will be needed to be included to gain a comprehensive understanding of the protective effects of vitamin D and BPD mechanistically in preterm infants. Secondly, the pathophysiological process of BPD will need to be studied. In addition, the pathways that vitamin D is responsible for, need to be further researched.