Lack of Seasonal Variations in Vitamin D Concentrations among Hospitalized Elderly Patients

Abstract

Background. Generally, most vitamin D in the human body (90–95%) is produced in the skin during exposure to sunlight. The effectiveness of this process depends on several biological and physical factors, e.g., age or latitude. Skin synthesis of vitamin D among elderly people is reduced. The aim of the study was to assess serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] seasonal variations in elderly patients hospitalized at the geriatric department. Methods. The study was carried out on 242 patients aged 60 years or older hospitalized at the geriatric department. The study group was categorized by four seasons as well as month. Results. The median (interquartile range) 25(OH)D concentration among all patients (n = 242) was 33.95 (26.96–45.18) nmol/L. There was no statistical significance in the median serum 25(OH)D concentration with regard to each of the four seasons: in the spring 32.95 (25.96–43.68) nmol/L, in the summer 38.69 (27.46–50.67) nmol/L, in the autumn 33.45 (27.08–44.18) nmol/L, in the winter 34.57 (23.46–43.93) nmol/L, (p = 0.48). Conclusion. Vitamin D deficiency was observed in all geriatric patients, irrespective of the season. The results of the study indicate no significant differences in median vitamin D concentration among the hospitalized patients across all four seasons. Even in the summer months, in our climate, it is fairly difficult for an elderly person to produce an adequate amount of vitamin D through the skin. Therefore, proper vitamin D supplementation is recommended and should be implemented in the elderly irrespective of the season.

Population-wide analysis of laboratory tests to assess seasonal variation and the relevance of temporal reference interval modification

“…Vitamin D is also an interesting test to examine because while it is known to vary widely throughout the year, even for healthy people, as seen in supplemental figure 1, it has a declining amplitude (i.e., less variance throughout the year) as a patient ages 10 . It is known that as one ages, the skin is less able to transform vitamin D to a usable form for the body, which would explain why older populations do not experience high peaks of vitamin D in the summer, but rather are consistently low throughout the year with little variance 47 . Examples such as this highlight the need for seasonally adjusted RIs across laboratory tests to identify changes in laboratory values which might indicate a move towards disease at an earlier stage in some individuals compared to the healthy population, based on age and sex specific changes throughout the year.…”

The Interplay of Vitamin D Deficiency and Cellular Senescence in The Pathogenesis of Obesity-Related Co-Morbidities

“…The evidence shows that vitamin D synthesis is reduced with aging, the outcome of senescence. Elderly people have reported around 70% lower dermal vitamin D production as compared to younger ones [84]. 7-dehydrocholesterol, the precursor for dermal vitamin D synthesis, is largely reduced with aging due to age-associated dermal structural alterations, such as shrinkage and reduced elasticity [84].…”

“…Elderly people have reported around 70% lower dermal vitamin D production as compared to younger ones [84]. 7-dehydrocholesterol, the precursor for dermal vitamin D synthesis, is largely reduced with aging due to age-associated dermal structural alterations, such as shrinkage and reduced elasticity [84]. Moreover, the age-related deterioration in renal function impairs calcitriol production [85].…”

An Assessment of Frequency of Deficiency of Vitamin D among HIV/AIDS Patients

“…In the temperate regions for instance Edmonton and Boston, cutaneal creation of the vitamin D almost stops in the wintertime. Therefore, recognition, treatment & management of the scarcity of vitamin D is imperative for both, the musculo-skeletal health & extra-skeletal health, including cardiovascular and immune systems (1)(2)(3). Deficiency of the Vitamin-D is common amongst HIV infected people all over the globe; having prevalence estimations ranging broadly from twenty-nine to eighty-seven percent (1).…”