Vitamin D, Bone Mineral Density and Serum IGF-1 Level in Non-ambulatory Children With Cerebral Palsy

Objective: To compare serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) status, bone mineral density and Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) level among children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 1 to 8 years with age- and gender-matched controls. Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled 30 children in each group: CP with epilepsy, CP without epilepsy, and healthy controls. Bone mineral density (BMD), serum 25-OHD levels, and serum insulin like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels were measured. Results: z-scores of BMD [−1.80 (1.03), −2.12 (0.85) vs −1.40 (0.90); P<0.01], 25-OHD levels [19.26 (8.28), 20.59 (8.92) Vs 26.79 (12.76) ng/mL; P<0.01] and IGF-1 levels [20.90 (6.42), 23.37 (8.11) vs 31.77 (11.21) ng/mL; P<0.01] were significantly low among children with CP with epilepsy, CP without epilepsy when compared to controls. Conclusion: Children with CP with or without comorbid epilepsy were prone to vitamin D deficiency, low bone mineral density and growth hormone axis suppression with low IGF-1 levels.