Study overview
A 2014 randomized trial in Archives of Disease in Childhood studied vitamin D added to calcium for calcium-deficiency rickets. It enrolled 72 children and followed treatment for 24 weeks; the primary outcome difference did not meet the conventional threshold for statistical significance.
- Research focus
- Combined calcium and vitamin D treatment for childhood calcium-deficiency rickets
- Study design
- Randomized controlled trial: calcium plus vitamin D, 44; calcium alone, 28
- Study population
- 72 children; 68 completed 24 weeks of treatment
- Publication / contributor
- Archives of Disease in Childhood; Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
Main findings
| Measure | Result | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | 72 children | 44 received combined treatment; 28 received calcium alone |
| Follow-up | 24 weeks | 68 children completed treatment |
| Primary outcome attained | 67% vs 44% | Combined radiographic and alkaline-phosphatase endpoint at 24 weeks; P=0.06 |
| Intermediate outcome attained | 26% vs 4.2% | Combined endpoint at 12 weeks; P=0.03, an intermediate observation |
Results and interpretation
The trial compared calcium plus vitamin D with calcium alone in children with calcium-deficiency rickets. Both groups received calcium, with radiographic and biochemical changes assessed during treatment.
Both groups improved. The combined-treatment group had better results at the 12-week assessment; the primary combined endpoint at 24 weeks had P=0.06 and was not statistically significant.
Study notes
The trial was conducted in Nigeria. Both groups received limestone-derived calcium, and the combined-treatment group also received vitamin D2. Participants had low dietary calcium intake and active rickets.
The sample was small and group sizes were unequal. Interpretation depends on the dietary setting, disease characteristics and follow-up period.
References
Thacher TD, Fischer PR, Pettifor JM. Vitamin D treatment in calcium-deficiency rickets: a randomised controlled trial. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2014;99(9):807–811. DOI:10.1136/archdischild-2013-305275.
