Objectives: To determine the incidence of hypovitaminosis D in proximal femur fracture (PFF) patients and investigate whether sociodemographic factors or radiographic parameters are associated with vitamin D levels. Methods: This is a consecutive case series of SouthEast Queensland patients presenting with low-energy PFFs. Vitamin D levels and sociodemographic factors (age, sex, postcode, medications and type of residence) were collected from medical records. Radiographic parameters included PFF type and cortical thickness of the femur. Results: A total of 313 patients were included (mean age = 79.5 years), and 105 (34%) were deficient in vitamin D (<50 nmol/L). There was no association between vitamin D levels and sociodemographic factors or radiographic parameters. Eightyfour (84%) of vitamin D-deficient patients were not taking vitamin D supplements. Conclusions: Social and demographic factors are not correlated with vitamin D levels in this cohort. Routine vitamin D supplementation may be indicated in ageing patients although it is not always protective of low-energy fractures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.