Serum Vitamin D Deficiency, a New Epidemic

Abstract

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has profound adverse effects on health. Serum calcium, phosphorus and even alkalinephasphatase cannot predict underlying vitamin D deficiency. Objectives: 1. To determine the frequency of vitamin D deficiency in outpatientprivate clinic 2. To determine the relation of vitamin D deficiency with the presenting symptom of bone or body aches. To see the relation ofits deficiency to the serum calcium, alkaline phosphate and phosphate levels. Study design: Descriptive study. Setting: One of the local privateclinic. Materials and Methods: 800 patients who presented to the clinic due to any ailment, having presenting complains with bone or bodyaches or not, were included in this study. The duration of study was 7 months from June to December 2008. Results: The study showed amongtotal 33% (n=264) were male and 67% (n=536) were female. 33 patients (4.1 %) were below age of 20 years, 364 patients (45.2%) were havingage between 20-40 years, 252 (31.5%) were between 41 -60 years, 143 (17.8%) were between 61 -80 years and only 8 patients (1 %) were above80years. Over all vitamin D present in sufficient amount (>30 ng/ml) in only 4 patients (0.5%), reaming patients (n=796,99.5%) were deficientin vitamin D were further divided into those who were having deficiency (serum level <20 ng/ml) (n=636, 79%) and insufficiency (serum levelbetween 21-29 ng/ml) (n=160,20%). All the deficient patients were having normal serum calcium and phosphate levels and only 33 patientswere having modestly raised serum alkaline phosphate. Among the sample only 318 (39.7%) were having bone or body aches as a presentingfeature while remaining 482 (60.3%) were having no pains. More ever pain has got insignificant relation to any level of serum vitamin D level(p-value=0.201), however younger deficient patients were having lesser chance of bone or body aches as compared to age more then 60 year(p-value<0.001). Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in our community, as compared to published data, targeting youngpopulation. Vitamin D supplementation should be planned to decrease its varied and multidimensional ill effects on health.