Vitamin D Deficiency—A Clinical Spectrum: Is There a Symptomatic Nonosteomalacic State?

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is not uncommon even in the sunny land of India. Lack of sun exposure and inadequate oral intake are both responsible for vitamin D deficiency. This article provides a retrospective, examining the effects of Vitamin D deficiency in 71 patients. The study's inclusion criterion was low vitamin D level combined with musculoskeletal symptoms but without the presence of osteomalacia. All patients in this study were suspected to have vitamin D deficiency. The data were retrieved from the case-charts of patients seen between 1996 and 2001 at the rheumatology services of Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, India. This study found no correlation between Vitamin D levels and symptoms, or between the severity of Vitamin D deficiency and the number of symptoms displayed. Subclinical vitamin D deficiency or preosteomalacic state was the term coined for individuals with vitamin D deficiency producing nonspecific musculoskeletal symptoms in the absence of clinical osteomalacia.

High prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in young healthy adults from the western part of India

“…A recent Indian study has also reported that a large chunk of hypovitaminosis D is subclinical, characterised by non-specific musculoskeletal symptoms as the only manifestation. The same study also concludes that hypovitaminosis D affects individuals in the prime of their life and affects the quality of life and the productivity of those suffering from it 28. Another limitation of our study was not assessing the functional relevance of hypovitaminosis D.…”

Assessment of Vitamin D status In Patients of Chronic Low Back Pain of Unknown Etiology

“…Serum 25 (OH) D is a potent indicator of total body vitamin D, the main regulator hormone in calcium and vitamin D metabolism. [9] Vitamin D deficiency may be without florid signs like bone tenderness in around 63 % patients, [10] an important finding, as without bony tenderness and without proper awareness on the part of physicians, vitamin D deficiency can easily be overlooked. Severe vitamin D deficiency causes a reversible myopathy characterized by muscle weakness, wasting, and instability of gait.…”

Method evaluation study of a new generation of vitamin D assays

“…On the one hand, vitamin D deficiency results in abnormalities in bone metabolism known as rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis ( 2 , 3 ). On the other hand, it is associated with non-skeletal diseases such as type one diabetes mellitus ( 2 , 4 , 5 ), multiple sclerosis ( 2 ), cancer ( 2 , 5 ), hypertension ( 5 ) or cardiovascular disease ( 5 , 6 ).…”