Osteopenia and rickets remain a problem for high-risk infants, especially preterm infants <1500 g birthweight (very low birth weight, VLBW). The primary cause of osteopenia in VLBW infants is a low intake of calcium and phosphorus compared to requirements for the rapidly growing skeleton. Human milk is a relatively low mineral containing substance and cannot meet the bone mineral needs of very low birth weight infants. As such, most VLBW infants need additional bone minerals and in many neonatal care units these are provided as part of human milk fortificants or specialized infant formulas. In some nurseries, these are given to all infants < 1800-2000 g birthweight. Management of full-term infants who are small for gestational age at birth is less clear, but in general bone mineral content is associated more with body size than gestational age and supplementation is often provided to these infants. Although all infants, including preterm ones need a source of vitamin D, the benefits of providing high doses of vitamin D to healthy preterm neonates is unproven. Some evidence indicates that most calcium absorption is non-vitamin D dependent in the first weeks of life in both preterm and term infants. However, after achieving full feeds in the preterm infant, it is prudent to provide vitamin D at amounts comparable to that used in full-term infants. Higher doses increase serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels more rapidly, but evidence is inconclusive as to the relative benefits vs possible risks of higher doses. In healthy full-term infants, although vitamin D provision via supplement drops to the breastfed infant, high dose maternal supplementation to the lactating mother or infant formula is generally recommended, the current evidence only strongly supports its use in identified at-risk infants.
Keywords: Bone health; Calcium requirements; Osteopenia; Premature infants; Rickets.
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