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A rationale for vitamin D prescribing in a falls clinic population
Jugdeep K Dhesi1, Caje Moniz, Jacqueline C T Close
1Clinical Age Research Unit, Department of Health Care of the Elderly, GKT School of Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK. jugdeep.dhesi@kcl.ac.uk
Objective:
to assess the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in a falls clinic population. To identify simple clinical predictors of vitamin D insufficiency.
Design:
prospective observational descriptive study.
Participants:
400 consecutive patients who attended a falls clinic taking referrals from a casualty department or general practitioners.
Results:
Hypovitaminosis D is very common, affecting at least 72% of a falls clinic population. The number of times an individual goes out per week and serum albumin are independent predictors of hypovitaminosis D, but the predictive value is low.
Conclusions:
the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency is high in a falls clinic population. It is difficult to predict which individuals are most at risk within this population. The benefits of vitamin D supplementation in older people are well recognized. Therefore in the absence of toxic effects, a pragmatic approach may be to supplement all attendees at a falls clinic.