Low Vitamin D in Children Linked to Baby Eczema
Low vitamin D in children linked to baby eczema severity
Here is an article about Vitamin D that I thought I would share with you. Dr Cannell started the Vitamin D Council and has great information on diseases and conditions relating to low Vitamin D.
Posted by John Cannell, MD
Atopic dermatitis or eczema is an allergic, inflammatory, chronic, non-contagious and very itchy skin disorder. The skin of a patient with eczema reacts abnormally to irritants, foods, dust, mites, pollen and other allergens to become red, flaky and very itchy. The skin also becomes vulnerable to bacterial infections.
In the last several decades, eczema has become dramatically more common, especially among children. It now affects almost 20% of all children and up to 3% of adults in industrialized countries; its prevalence in the United States alone has nearly tripled in the past thirty years.
Tests in Turkey of 74 children with eczema whose initial average vitamin D levels was around 11 ng/ml.
They found that in the children with lower vitamin D levels, the worse the eczema.
If your child has eczema:
Dr. Cannell recommends to start giving him vitamin D3, about 1,000 IU for every 25 pounds of body weight per the Vitamin D Council’s recommendations. When you calculate dose, round up; so a thirty pound child would take 2,000 IU/day and a 55 pound child would take 3,000 IU/day. It may take a while – several months – but based on what the evidence we have today, the eczema should improve with time.
I hope you find this article on children, Vitamin D and eczema helpful.
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My daughter suffered from it really bad.When we changed washing powders to an organic scent free one her skin problems all slowly disappeared.
Wow!, I’ve always been aware of how important Vit. D was for our immune system, but I had never connected it to eczema, which my 3 year old has. Thanks you so much for sharing! I pinned it!
katrina, thanks for pinning
wow interesting, i have never heard of a link to vitamin d, but if supplementation of of vitamin D would be a low side effect treatment vs a lot of the other treatments of eczema
My younger sister’s half brother has a Vit D deficiency and he had different symptom. He would complain of his arms or legs hurting him in the morning and then at night. His grandma didn’t think anything of it until she noticed how often and when he would complain. She was surprised to hear that it was Vit D, so now my younger sister is getting tested for it because she complains of leg/arm pain also.
Yes body aches are very common complaints with Vit D deficiency. So is being tired and sleepy.
I’ve been Vit D deficient the last few years. I’m so glad doctors are checking the Vit D levels, as it’s very easy to get your levels back to normal. It’s great to see the benefit it can be to kids, too.
I didn’t know this. My granddaughter has eczema & has a hard time with it. Thanks for sharing this. I am passing it on to my daughter
I wonder if adults with eczema benefit from Vitamin D supplementation as well.
thanks for sharing that is why I believe in giving children whole milk instead of low fat
That’s interesting. I had no idea about the vitamin link.
Good to know – I will start making sure my kids get enough Vitamin D.
I have had eczema since I was little. I never knew about the vitamin D though. Thanks for sharing. Where were you when I was little, lol.
Lol…probably playing in the mud
lolol
I dont think many people really get as much vit D as they need. We take suppliment drops for it at least during the winter, because the rest of the year we are outside all the time.
Sam thanks for posting..I agree. Just remember if you wear sunblock in the summer then the Vitamin D isn’t getting through either ….