Is vitamin D deficiency a modern epidemic in tropical countries?

Abstract

There is little data regarding Vitamin D deficiency in Greece. Also conflicting are the data regarding the bone turnover during the acute hip fracture interval and the situation is even more complex considering the recently developed bone turnover markers (BTMs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the parameters of bone mineral homeostasis of women with fragility hip fracture using the recently developed BTMs of carboxy-terminal collagen crosslinks (CTx) and the procollagen type 1 aminoterminal propeptide (PINP) and to determinate vitamin D (25-OHD) levels of elderly Greek women with acute hip fracture. 38 self-sufficient, community-living Greek women with acute hip fracture were included. A similar number of age-and sex-matched controls with no clinically evident fractures were included in the study meeting the same inclusion and exclusion criteria. To exclude the effect of trauma blood samples were drawn within 24 hours from the fracture. Hip fracture group had significantly lower serum 25-OHD levels and significantly higher intact parathormone (PTH) levels compared to the control group but no correlation between PTH and 25-OHD was found in both groups. CTx was significantly correlated with PINP in the total group and in both groups separately but there was no statistical difference of their levels between the two groups. There was high prevalence of severe Vitamin D deficiency within the postmenopausal Greek women with acute hip fracture and the fracture did not influence the above mentioned BTMs. The processes of bone resorption and bone production are in balance during the first 24 hours after the fracture.

Prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency among hospital staff in tertiary care center: a cross sectional study

“…Among biochemical parameters, serum alkaline phosphatase was negatively correlated (p-0.001), while no significant correlation was found between serum calcium, phosphorus, urine calcium/creatinine, fasting plasma glucose, HOMA-IR and serum 25(OH)D levels (Table 3). 23 We found an inverse correlation between BMI and serum 25(OH)D levels. Risk of VDD was more in overweight and obese category among the three groups.…”