Does vitamin D stop inpatients falling? A randomised controlled trial.

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Nutritional Science
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in older adults, increasing fall and fracture risks.
• Hospitalized elderly patients face a heightened risk of falls.
• Prior research suggests vitamin D may enhance neuromuscular function and decrease fall incidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if daily vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces fallers and falls in hospitalized elderly patients.
• To assess the efficacy of routine vitamin D supplementation for fall prevention in acute geriatric admissions.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial was conducted.
• 205 acute geriatric admissions over 65 years old were enrolled.
• Participants received daily vitamin D (800 IU) plus calcium (1200 mg) or calcium (1200 mg) alone until discharge or death.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in the number of fallers between the vitamin D and control groups (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.59-1.16).
• The mean number of falls and time to first fall did not differ significantly between groups.
• Median vitamin D levels in a subgroup did not significantly increase with supplementation, despite high adherence (88%).

Conclusions:

• Routine vitamin D supplementation does not reduce fall numbers in geriatric hospital inpatients.
• Current evidence does not support the recommendation of vitamin D for fall prevention in this patient demographic.