Association of the Vitamin D Level and Quality of School Life in Adolescents with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Main Authors: Youngsun Cho, Yoomi Lee, Youjin Choi, Sujin Jeong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-12-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: irritable bowel syndrome; functional gastrointestinal disorder; vitamin D supplementation; school aged children; Korea; quality of school life
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/7/12/500

There is no treatment of choice for irritable bowel syndrome, which affects up to 20% of school-aged children. This cross-sectional study evaluated the difference in the average vitamin D level between subtypes of irritable bowel syndrome, and the relationship between the vitamin D level as well as the severity of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. We included 124 adolescents aged 10&#8315;17 years (68 boys, 56 girls; mean age 12.29 &#177; 1.92 years) from 2014 to 2016. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome were diagnosed by Rome III criteria and classified by clinical manifestation: irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (<i>n</i> = 29), irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (<i>n</i> = 63), and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and diarrhea (<i>n</i> = 32). The severity of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and school absence were evaluated. Vitamin D levels were measured by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. The chi-square test and analysis of variance were used. The patients&#8217; average vitamin D level was 16.25 &#177; 6.58 ng/mL. There was a significant negative association of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D level with symptom severity and school absence (<i>p</i> = 0.022 and <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001, respectively). Vitamin D supplementation could be considered as a choice of therapeutic method.