TB risk amid low child vitamin D levels

The potentially lethal lung disease tuberculosis (TB) could be making a comeback across Europe because of dangerously low vitamin D levels in our children.

The claim has been made in new research into the condition, which caused havoc in Ireland throughout the 19th century and at one point was the cause of death in one out of every seven people in Europe.

A major study to be revealed at the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases annual meeting this week will show that, despite drastic improvements in drugs to fight the illness, TB is making a comeback across the continent.

And the research, which will be detailed during the conference at the National Convention Centre in Dublin, will clearly state that low vitamin D levels in children are one of the reasons for the resurgence.

As part of the study, 996 children were screened for TB in three hospitals in Britain and Italy.

Of this group, the research team found 44 children with active TB, 138 with latent TB and 814 who had no trace of the condition.

After checking each child’s vitamin D levels, the study said almost half — 47% — had either insufficient or deficient amounts of the vitamin, which can be gained from exposure to sunlight and a healthy Mediterranean diet.

However, the low level vitamin D rate increased to 58% among children carrying latent TB and 75% among those with an active strain of the condition.

As a result, the research team found that children with latent TB are 61% more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency compared to their otherwise healthy counterparts, while those with active TB are 500% more at risk of the disease.

While two-thirds of the children in the study were of African, Asian or Hispanic ethnicity — groups known to have a vitamin D deficiency risk — the research found two-thirds of caucasian children also lacked the vitamin.

One of the study authors, Dr Nuria Martinez-Alier, said while more definitive trials are needed, children with the deficiency must now be given clear evidence-based guidelines to address the situation.

Over the past decade a number of small clusters of TB cases have occurred in Ireland, with most involving drug resistant strains of the condition. However, latest annual figures show 384 people were diagnosed with the illness last year — one of the lowest rates since surveillance of its return began in the late 1990s.

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Help to withstand illness

Commonly referred to as the “sunshine vitamin”, Vitamin D helps can be a vital factor in a person’s health — and their ability to withstand illnesses.

Vitamin D is most easily obtained through controlled exposure to the sun, with 20 minutes a day without sunscreen recommended.

However, for cooler climates such as Ireland the vitamin can also be obtained through dietary changes, with foods like mushrooms, fish, eggs and pork, and liquids like cod liver oil and milk highly advised.

Vitamin D helps with bone development, immune system strength, the absorption of calcium, cell growth and muscle development.

People who have insufficient levels of it can ask their GP for a simple blood test to confirm the deficiency, with supplements also available for those suffering from low levels.