Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,234 studies31 sourcesUpdated 1 h ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Immunology

Serum vitamins and inflammatory bowel disease in children: a case-control study

  • Xiaojuan Li1
  • Tiewei Li1
  • Yuesheng Wang2
  • Yuanzhe Li3
  • Shuai Zhang1
  • Wenbo Yan1
  • Yushu Ma1
  • Ziying Li2
  • Junmei Yang1
  • Zhipeng Jin4
4 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Children’s Infection and Immunity, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children’s Hospital, Zhengzhou Children’s Hospital
  2. 2Department of Gastroenterology, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children’s Hospital, Zhengzhou Children’s Hospital
  3. 3Department of Children’s Health Management Center, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children’s Hospital, Zhengzhou Children’s Hospital
  4. 4Department of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children’s Hospital, Zhengzhou Children’s Hospital
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Background: Micronutrient deficiencies are common in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), yet data on multiple vitamin profiles remain limited. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate serum vitamin levels in children with IBD and explore their associations with immune cell profiles.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at the Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University. A total of 46 children diagnosed with IBD who had vitamin profiling were enrolled between March 2022 and March 2026. A control group of 46 healthy children, who underwent health check-ups and vitamin assessments during the same period, were also included, matched 1:1 for age and sex. Clinical and laboratory data were retrieved from the hospital’s electronic medical record system. Serum levels of vitamins A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and C were measured using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.

Results: Compared with controls, IBD patients had significantly lower vitamin A (VA) and vitamin C (VC) levels, while vitamin E (VE) levels were higher (all P < 0.05). Deficiency rates of VA (76.1% vs. 28.3%), VC (50.0% vs. 26.1%), and vitamin D (41.3% vs. 21.7%) were significantly increased in the IBD group (all P < 0.05). Within the IBD cohort, VA, VD, and VC levels correlated significantly with neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages. Multivariate logistic regression identified lower VA level (OR = 0.159, 95% CI: 0.032-0.792, P = 0.025) and VA deficiency (OR = 7.800, 95% CI: 1.735–35.055, P = 0.007) as factors independently associated with IBD.

Conclusions: Pediatric IBD patients exhibit significant deficiencies in VA, VC, and VD, and within the IBD cohort, these vitamins (VA, VD, and VC) correlate significantly with neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages. Multivariate regression suggests a potential independent association between VA status and pediatric IBD, though these are preliminary observational findings. This study provides preliminary multi-vitamin profiling data for pediatric IBD, highlighting the need for attention to VA and VC deficiencies alongside routine VD monitoring. Further validation in larger multicenter cohorts is required.

Related

  1. Changes in Serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 Concentrations in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease over a Six-Month Observation Period
    Katarzyna Zdanowicz, Dariusz Marek Lebensztejn, Urszula Daniluk
    International Journal of Molecular SciencesPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Genetics & genomicsCrossref
  2. Serum proteins predict incident inflammatory bowel disease 14 years before diagnosis: a machine-learning and Cox modelling in the UK Biobank
    T. E. Niebuhr, J. Fieggen, B. M. Segal +3
    medRxivPreprintAll rights reservedFull textGenetics & genomicsmedRxiv
  3. Characteristics of serum Metrnl levels in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and their associations with disease activity and inflammatory biomarkers
    Li-Min Li, Yingzhe Shao, Hao Cai +1
    Frontiers in ImmunologyPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textImmunologyCrossrefPMC
  4. Physician documented fatigue among adults and children with inflammatory bowel disease: a nationwide routinely collected health data study from the epi-IIRN
    Gili Focht, Rachel Buchuk, Menachem Sokolik +9
    Crohn's & colitis 360Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textGenetics & genomicsEurope PMCPMC
  5. CCR5Δ32 Polymorphism and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case–Control and Genotype–Phenotype Study in a Polish Population
    Pawel Petryszyn, Klaudia Koj, Robert Dudkowiak +3
    International Journal of Molecular SciencesPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Genetics & genomicsCrossref

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{li2026serum,
  title = {{Serum vitamins and inflammatory bowel disease in children: a case-control study}},
  author = {Xiaojuan Li and Tiewei Li and Yuesheng Wang and Yuanzhe Li and Shuai Zhang and Wenbo Yan and Yushu Ma and Ziying Li and Junmei Yang and Zhipeng Jin},
  journal = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2026.1903865},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1903865/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Serum vitamins and inflammatory bowel disease in children: a case-control study
AU  - Xiaojuan Li
AU  - Tiewei Li
AU  - Yuesheng Wang
AU  - Yuanzhe Li
AU  - Shuai Zhang
AU  - Wenbo Yan
AU  - Yushu Ma
AU  - Ziying Li
AU  - Junmei Yang
AU  - Zhipeng Jin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - Frontiers in Immunology
DO  - 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1903865
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1903865/full
AB  - Background: Micronutrient deficiencies are common in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), yet data on multiple vitamin profiles remain limited. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate serum vitamin levels in children with IBD and explore their associations with immune cell profiles.  Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at the Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University. A total of 46 children diagnosed with IBD who had vitamin profiling were enrolled between March 2022 and March 2026. A control group of 46 healthy children, who underwent health check-ups and vitamin assessments during the same period, were also included, matched 1:1 for age and sex. Clinical and laboratory data were retrieved from the hospital’s electronic medical record system. Serum levels of vitamins A, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and C were measured using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.  Results: Compared with controls, IBD patients had significantly lower vitamin A (VA) and vitamin C (VC) levels, while vitamin E (VE) levels were higher (all P < 0.05). Deficiency rates of VA (76.1% vs. 28.3%), VC (50.0% vs. 26.1%), and vitamin D (41.3% vs. 21.7%) were significantly increased in the IBD group (all P < 0.05). Within the IBD cohort, VA, VD, and VC levels correlated significantly with neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages. Multivariate logistic regression identified lower VA level (OR = 0.159, 95% CI: 0.032-0.792, P = 0.025) and VA deficiency (OR = 7.800, 95% CI: 1.735–35.055, P = 0.007) as factors independently associated with IBD.  Conclusions: Pediatric IBD patients exhibit significant deficiencies in VA, VC, and VD, and within the IBD cohort, these vitamins (VA, VD, and VC) correlate significantly with neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages. Multivariate regression suggests a potential independent association between VA status and pediatric IBD, though these are preliminary observational findings. This study provides preliminary multi-vitamin profiling data for pediatric IBD, highlighting the need for attention to VA and VC deficiencies alongside routine VD monitoring. Further validation in larger multicenter cohorts is required.
SN  - 1664-3224
ER  -