[Vitamin D = 224, placebo = 229]. Age 1–36 months with acute pneumonia.
A single 100,000 unit of oral vitamin D3 at onset of pneumonia.
Time to resolution of pneumonia/recovery for 48 consecutive hours, treatment failure, and discharge from hospital.
Children with wheezing were excluded. No adverse effects noted. Microbiological and/or radiological diagnosis not done. Serum vitamin D3 level was not measured.
[Vitamin D = 100, placebo = 100]. Age 2 months–5 years hospitalized with severe pneumonia.
Oral vitamin D3 (1000 IU for <1 year and 2000 IU for >1 year) for 5 days.
Primary: time to resolution of severe pneumonia (absence of lower chest indrawing, hypoxia or cyanosis, lethargy, and inability to feed). Secondary: duration of hospitalization and time to resolution of tachypnea, chest retractions, and inability to feed.
Sixty-three children had past history of pneumonia. Five children had clinical evidence of rickets. One-third of children had wheezing at enrollment. No major adverse effects noted. Microbiological and/or radiological diagnosis not done. Serum vitamin D3 level was not measured.