Vitamin D status of an outpatient clinic population

Vitamin D insufficiency contributes to bone loss and fracture risk. Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels are common in elderly people and in housebound and hospitalized patients. This study was conducted to assess wintertime 25OHD levels in relation to self-reported vitamin D supplement use in an outpatient thyroid clinic population. We assessed the medical history, vitamin D intake from milk and supplements, and serum 25OHD levels in 231 women and 41 men who attended a Thyroid Clinic between January and March, 1999. Of the 272 outpatients, 13.6% had 25OHD levels <40 nmol/l and 53.3% had levels below 80 nmol/l. Fewer than 15% of the patients consumed more than 200 IU per day of vitamin D from milk. Vitamin D supplement use was a positive determinant of serum 25OHD concentration (P < 0.001). For example, among the largest homogenous subset of patients, Caucasian women (n = 137), 30% of the unsupplemented women, and 65% of those taking 400 lU/day of vitamin D had levels of 25OHD as high as 80 nmol/l. Other significant determinants of 25OHD levels were race, weight, milk intake, and recent southern travel. Thyroid disorder, serum TSH level, and age were not predictors of serum 25OHD concentration. In conclusion, at their current dietary vitamin D intake levels, most patients at this latitude will need vitamin D supplements in the wintertime.