Randomized controlled trial comparing two doses of daily vitamin D supplementation in preterm neonates

Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for preterm infants. The study aimed to compare the effect of 400  versus 1000 IU of daily oral vitamin D3 doses on vitamin D levels and anthropometric measurements of two groups of newborns. A Randomized controlled trial included eighty successive preterm neonates with a gestational age of ?32 weeks who were randomly allocated to receive 400 or 1000 IU/day of vitamin D. Data were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Science version 23. Vitamin D concentrations at 40 weeks postconceptual age were significantly higher in the 1000 IU (16.26 ± 7.92 ng/ml) when compared to the 400 IU group (12.87 ± 6.15 ng/ml). Serum Calcium showed a highly significant rise in the 1000 IU group when compared with the 400 IU group (9.18 ± 1.76 mg/dL vs. 8.69 ± 0.77 mg/dL, p<0.001). Significant progression in length at follow-up in the 1000 IU group compared with the 400 IU group (42.0 ± 3.45 cm vs 39.93 ± 1.60 cm, p<0.001). Conclusion: 1000 IU/day of vitamin D supplementation in preterm infants ?32 weeks gestation age effectively decreases the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and leads to higher concentrations of 25(OH) vitamin D at 40 weeks PCA.