Hostname: page-component-669899f699-vbsjw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-25T20:34:48.871Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hypovitaminosis D in an Italian population of healthy subjects and hospitalized patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Elisabetta Romagnoli ,
Patrizia Caravella ,
Liliana Scarnecchia ,
Paolo Martinez  and
Salvatore Minisola
Elisabetta Romagnoli
Affiliation:
Ospedale San Giovanni Battista, Via L. E. Morselli 48, 00100, Rome, Italy
Patrizia Caravella
Affiliation:
II Clinica Medica, Università degli Studi La Sapienza’, Viale del Policlinico 155,00100, Rome, Italy
Liliana Scarnecchia
Affiliation:
Laboratorio Analisi, Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo-Forlanini, Via Portuense 332, 00100, Rome, Italy
Paolo Martinez
Affiliation:
Ospedale San Giovanni Battista, Via L. E. Morselli 48, 00100, Rome, Italy
Salvatore Minisola*
Affiliation:
II Clinica Medica, Università degli Studi La Sapienza’, Viale del Policlinico 155,00100, Rome, Italy
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Salvatore Minisola, fax +39 6 6880 3566, email minisola@axrma.uniroma1.it
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and seasonal variation of hypovitaminosis D (defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level below 30 nmol/l) among healthy subjects and hospitalized patients living in central Italy. We studied 297 subjects, 131 in February 1997 and 166 in July 1997, subdivided into four groups: (a) young healthy blood donors; (b) healthy postmenopausal women; (c) inpatients with various medical diseases and (d) inpatients engaged in long-term rehabilitation programmes because of various neurological disorders. In all subjects and patients serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured by radioimmunoassay. We found a significant seasonal variation (P < 0·0001) of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, mean values being higher in summer in all groups, except in patients with a longer hospitalization time (group (d)). In each group, a significantly higher prevalence of hypovitaminosis D was found in winter compared with summer time (P < 0·001), being unexpectedly high in postmenopausal women (winter 32 % and summer 4·5 %); furthermore, in both seasons, inpatients were characterized by the highest incidences of hypovitaminosis, particularly those in group (d) (winter 82·3 % and summer 57·8 %). The results of the present study emphasize the importance of 25-hydroxyvitamin D measurement, and the need to increase vitamin D intake in Italy; foodstuff fortification and supplement use must be considered in order to prevent negative effects of vitamin D deficiency on skeletal integrity.

Keywords

Vitamin DSkeletal integrityHypovitaminosis D
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 81 , Issue 2 , February 1999 , pp. 133 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

References

Akesson, K, Lau, KHW & Baylink, DJ (1997) Rationale for active vitamin D analog therapy in senile osteoporosis. Calcified Tissue International 60, 100–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bettica, P, Bevilacqua, M, Vago, T & Norbiato, G (1997) High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among free-living postmenopausal women in Northern Italy. Italian Journal of Mineral & Electrolyte Metabolism 11, Suppl. 1, 3.Google Scholar
Chapuy, MC, Durr, F & Chapuy, P (1983) Age-related changes in parathyroid hormone and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol levels. Journal of Gerontology 1, 19–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapuy, MC, Preziosi, P, Maamer, M, Arnaud, S, Galan, P, Hercberg, S & Meunier, PJ (1997) Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in an adult normal population. Osteoporosis International 7, 439–443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chapuy, MC, Schott, AM, Garnero, P, Hans, D, Delmas, PD & Meunier, PJ (1996) Healthy elderly French women living at home have secondary hyperparathyroidism and high bone turnover in winter. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 81, 1129–1133.Google ScholarPubMed
Fraser, DR (1995) Vitamin D. Lancet 345, 104–107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gloth, FM III, Gundberg, CM, Hollis, BW, Haddad, JG Jr & Tobin, JD (1995) Vitamin D deficiency in homebound elderly persons. Journal of the American Medical Association 274, 1683–1686.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldray, D, Mizrahi-Sasson, E, Merdler, C, Edelstein-Singer, M, Algoetti, A, Eisenberg, Z, Jaccard, N & Weisman, Y (1989) Vitamin D deficiency in elderly patients in a general hospital. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 7, 589–592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hollis, BW (1996) Assessment of vitamin D nutritional and hormonal status: what to measure and how to do it. Calcified Tissue International 58, 4–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hollis, BW, Kamerud, JQ, Selvaag, SR, Lorenz, JD & Napoli, JL (1993) Determination of vitamin D status by radioimmunoassay with 125I-labeled tracer. Clinical Chemistry 39, 529–533.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacques, PF, Felson, DT, Tucker, KL, Mahnken, B, Wilson, PWF, Rosenberg, IH & Rush, D (1997) Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D and its determinants in an elderly population sample. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 66, 929–936.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Juttmann, JR, Uisser, TJ, Buurman, C, De Kam, E & Birkenhager, JC (1981) Seasonal fluctuations in serum concentrations of vitamin D metabolites in normal subjects. British Medical Journal 282, 1349–1352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keane, EM, Healy, M, O'Moore, R, Coakley, D & Walsh, JB (1995) Hypovitaminosis D in the healthy elderly. British Journal of Clinical Practice 49, 301–303.Google ScholarPubMed
Khaw, KT, Sneyd, MJ & Compston, J (1992) Bone density, parathyroid hormone and 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in middle aged women. British Medical Journal 305, 273–277.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Komar, L, Nieves, J, Cosman, F, Rubin, A, Shen, V & Lindsay, R (1993) Calcium homeostasis of an elderly population upon admission to a nursing home. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 41, 1057–1064.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krall, EA, Sahyoun, N, Tannenbaum, S, Dallal, GE & Dawson-Hughes, B (1989) Effect of vitamin D intake on seasonal variations in parathyroid hormone secretion in postmenopausal women. New England Journal of Medicine 321, 1777–1783.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lips, P, Graafmans, WC, Ooms, ME, Bezemer, PD & Bouter, LM (1996) Vitamin D supplementation and fracture incidence in elderly persons. A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Annals of Internal Medicine 124, 400–406.Google Scholar
Liu, BA, Gordon, M, Labranche, JM, Murray, TM, Vieth, R & Shear, NH (1997) Seasonal prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in institutionalized older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 45, 598–603.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKenna, MJ (1992) Differences in vitamin D status between countries in young adults and the elderly. American Journal of Medicine 93, 69–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Malabanan, A, Veronikis, E & Holick, MF (1998) Redefining vitamin D insufficiency. Lancet 351, 805–806.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parfitt, AM, Gallagher, JC, Heaney, RP, Johnston, CC, Neer, R & Whedon, GD (1982) Vitamin D and bone health in the elderly. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 36, 1014–1031.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quesada-Gomez, JM, Alonso, J & Bouillon, R (1996) Vitamin D insufficiency as a determinant of hip fractures. Osteoporosis International Suppl. 3, S42–S47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rossini, M, Perbellini, S, Lazzarin, M, Adami, S, Bertoldo, F & Lo Cascio, V (1990) Incidenza di ipovitaminosi D nel Nord Italia (Incidence of hypovitaminosis D in northern Italy). Italian Journal of Mineral and Electrolyte Metabolism 4, 13–17.Google Scholar
Shane, E, Mancini, D, Aaronson, K, Silverberg, SJ, Seibel, MJ, Addesso, V & McMahon, DJ (1997) Bone mass, vitamin D deficiency, and hyperparathyroidism in congestive heart failure. American Journal of Medicine 103, 197–207.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sherman, SS, Hollis, BW & Tobin, JD (1990) Vitamin D status and related parameters in a healthy population: the effects of age, sex, and season. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 71, 405–413.Google Scholar
Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Intakes, Institute of Medicine (1997) Dietary intakes: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, and fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Thomas, MK, Lloyd-Jones, DM, Thadhani, RI, Shaw, AC, Deraska, DJ, Kitch, BT, Vamvakas, EC, Dick, IM, Prince, RL & Finkelstein, JS (1998) Hypovitaminosis D in medical inpatients. New England Journal of Medicine 338, 777–783.Google Scholar
Tsai, KS, Wahner, HW, Offord, KP, Melton, LJ III, Kumar, R & Riggs, BL (1987) Effect of aging on vitamin D stores and bone density in women. Calcified Tissue International 40, 241–243.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Utiger, RD (1998) The need for more vitamin D. New England Journal of Medicine 338, 828–829.Google Scholar
van der Wielen, RPJ, Löwick, MRH, van der Berg, H, de Groot, L, Haler, J, Moreiras, O & van Staveren, WA (1995) Serum vitamin D concentrations among elderly people in Europe. Lancet 346, 207–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Villareal, DT, Civitelli, R, Chines, A & Avioli, LV (1991) Subclinical vitamin D deficiency in postmenopausal women with low vertebral bone mass. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 72, 628–634.Google Scholar
Woitge, HW, Scheidt-Nave, C, Kissling, C, Leidig-Bruckner, G, Meyer, K, Grauer, A, Scharla, SH, Ziegler, R & Seibel, MJ (1998) Seasonal variation of biochemical indexes of bone turnover: results of a population based study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 83, 68–75.Google ScholarPubMed